POTKM Volume 2: Concerning Charmix
by AndrewK9000
Summary: Our heroes travel to Alfea to help the Winx battle the insidious Darkar and The Trix and save The Magical Dimension once again. Yet Darkar has his own plans, as does Xehanort. Who will survive?
1. Chapter 1: Back to Alfea

Greetings fellow readers and writers! This is the second volume in my Path of the Keyblade Wielder saga and I hope you like it!

Okay, this time Sora and the gang are returning to The Realm of Magix as they get involve in the events of Season 2 of Winx Club. On a personal note, I almost didn't write this story and would have used a plot that I had originally planned for a later volume, which I won't talk about now so as not to spoil things. What went wrong was that the Rai version of Winx season 2, past a certain episode, had been taken off of the web and I just couldn't find another online source and only the 4Kids version was available. In case I haven't said it before, I hate the 4Kids version and will not use it ever. On a side note, I liked the specials that Nickelodeon did for Season 1 and 2 to a point, though in many points I think they were rushed and far too condensed. But I really liked the dub the did for Season 3 and so far, I like what they've done for Season 4 and am anxiously waiting for Season 5.

Back with this story, I finally found the Rai version DVD on eBay, so now I'm happy to bring to you the story as I imagined it in my mind. I'm also tying this story in with an earlier story of mine, my Winx and Doctor Who crossover, 'Remnant of the Cybermen.'

Now for the legal, boring part. I don't own either Kingdom Hearts or Winx Club, so please don't sue me, I'm just trying to tell a good story. I do own the original characters I created for the fic, as well as changed a few aspects of the season 2 plot and dialog to allow Sora and the others to fit in, so again, don't sue me. And now, without further delay, please enjoy…

**Kingdom Hearts: Path of the Keyblade Wielder**

**Volume 2: Concerning Charmix**

**By AndrewK9000**

**Chapter 1:Back to Alfea**

…_Disney Castle…_

"Glad you guys are all here and well rested," said King Mickey as he stood in front of Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess in the enormous Throne Room. At the side of The King was Donald, Goofy, Daisy and Queen Minnie.

"Glad to be here, Your Majesty," said Sora, while the others nodded in agreement, while inside his heart, Roxas nodded, while Naminé did the same inside Kairi's heart.

"I've good a lot of good news to tell, before we get down to business," said The King, "first of all, I heard from Ansem that he's made enough of Aiden's antidote to vaccinate everyone in The Realms of Light. It'll take a while, but soon everyone on the worlds will be safe from becoming a Wamphyri."

"Glad to know some of the alchemic stuff in my head actually works," said Aiden, "if I can just figure out the rest, there's hundreds of formulas in my mind that I have no idea what they're for."

"I've got a feeling that we'll find out sooner or later," said Riku.

"Speaking of later," said King Mickey, "Leon called. Construction for the new SeeD Garden has begun, while he's officially stated classes, with Quistis and Selphie as teachers."

"They've got it easy," said Tess, "they've only got two students."

"With Titus and Wakka, noting is ever easy," said Kairi.

"Actually," said Queen Minnie, "they have quite a few students by now. After hearing that there would be SeeD classes, over a dozen young men and women on Radiant Garden signed up, with more expected to join later on."

"That's awesome," said Sora.

"And now for the really good part," said King Mickey, "your training to become Keyblade Masters."

"We're ready to start," said Riku, while Sora, Aiden, Kairi and Tess nodded in agreement.

"Alright, then," said The King, "first of all, you guys already know a lot, specifically about Keyblade techniques. You've faced down countless Heartless, Nobodies, demons and all sorts of villains and monsters, so there's no doubting your courage.

"But there's still a lot for you to learn, not just about fighting. You've got to learn exactly what it is to be a Keyblade Master in mind and heart, and for that, you're going to have to go on a bit of a journey."

"What kind of journey?" Aiden asked, "if it means getting lost among the multi-verse again, at least let me back some snacks."

"Getting lost in reality isn't on the itinerary," said The King, "but it does involve a lot of traveling. You're going back to school."

"But it's summer break!" complained Sora, while Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess looked like they wanted to complain as well.

"I mean magic school," said The King, "you're going to learn a lot more about magic than you ever thought possible, while at the same time learning more about who you are as Keyblade Wielders and about yourselves, and before you ask, you're going to have to figure that out for yourselves."

"Lucky us," said Tess.

"So, where are we going to learn about magic?" Kairi asked.

"There's actually a couple of places where you're going to be staying as guest students," said King Mickey, "each school is on a different world. Some you've heard about and there's one that you've actually been to. Your first stop will be one place you've only heard about; Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Hogwarts?" Sora asked, "we're going to Hogwarts?"

"That's where Victoire and Teddy went to school," said Riku.

"This is going to be awesome!" said an eager Kairi.

Just then something unexpected happened. A small portal opened up and from it emerged a very fast object that zoomed past our heroes and crashed onto the throne. It turned out to be a small pixy. She had an envelope like shirt, blue shorts, blue wristbands and angel wings anklets. She had a pink clip on her curly blonde hair, blue eyes, and blue lashes. She had bright blue insect-like wings. With her was a piece of parchment folded into a surfboard.

"My goodness!" said Queen Minnie as everyone clustered around the little creature, "are you alright?"

The little pixy shook her disoriented head and looked up at everyone, "I think so, I really ought to work on my portal exits."

"I don't mean to be rude," said Daisy, "but who are you?"

"Oh, sorry, introductions," said the little creature. She stood up brushed herself off and looked up at The King and Queen proudly, "I'm Livy, Pixy of Messages, and I've come all the way from Alfea to deliver a message for the Keyblade Wielders, from Headmistress Faragonda."

"You came all the way from The Realm of Magix?" Kairi asked.

"Isn't that were you fought those psycho witches?" Tess asked.

"Our first real mission together," said Riku.

"And where we met The Winx," said Sora.

"You know Bloom and The Winx?" Livi asked, "oh, before I forget," she then tossed her paper surfboard to Sora, which unfolded into an envelope addressed to Sora, Riku and Kairi, sealed with the emblem of Alfea College for Fairies.

"I've got a feeling that Hogwarts is going to have to wait," said Aiden as Sora opened the letter.

"Is it that obvious?" Tess asked. She then looked at Sora, "well don't keep us in suspense, what's it say?"

"It's from Faragonda," said Kairi as she read the letter over Sora's shoulder, "there's a big problem in Magix and she's asking for our help."

"One involving The Trix," said Sora, "the three psycho witches, but it goes way beyond them."

"I knew those three should have been destroyed," said Riku, "but no, the authorities sent them to magical rehab."

"I would have destroyed them," said Tess.

"Honestly, were they really that bad?" Aiden asked, "I'm only saying because I've seen some really evil stuff but…"

"These three were pretty much on par with Maleficent," said Riku.

"We can still take them," said Tess, "so when do we leave?"

"Hold it," said King Mickey, "you guys are expected at Hogwarts."

"But Faragonda asked us for help," said Kairi as she handed the letter to King Mickey, "she said she wouldn't have asked for our help is it wasn't serious."

The King looked at the letter, "well, it's serious alright," he then looked at our heroes, "and the three schools of Magix are on the list of schools you need to visit, so, okay."

"So we can go?" Sora asked.

"Yep," said King Mickey, "and good luck."

"We're coming too!" said Donald.

"We are?" Goofy asked in a slightly nervous tone, "but those crazy witches are back, and they're creepy too!"

"Ah, we can kick their heads in," said Donald, "we did it before."

"And I know you can do it again," said King Mickey, "but I need you guys. Castle Oblivion is still missing, and with it, Xehanort."

"That bald psychopath still has Ven's body," said Kairi, "you've got to find them so we can reunite Ven with his heart."

"And find some way to bring back Terra," said Riku.

"We'll do it all," said King Mickey, he then looked at Donald and Goofy, "but right now I need the both of you."

"You can count on us, your majesty," said Goofy, while Donald nodded in agreement.

"Okay then," said Sora. He then looked at Livy, "we're ready when you are."

"Then let's get going!" said Livy. The parchment then folded back into a surfboard, which she hopped onto. A larger portal then appeared, "Alfea, here we come!" the little blond pixy then surfed into the portal.

"That was…strange," said Tess.

"You ain't seen nothing yet," said Kairi. She then looked at King Mickey, "we'll be back before you know it."

"Good luck, you guys," said The King.

"We don't need luck, your majesty," said Aiden, "we make it ourselves!" he then pressed his wrists, "alright, lets' do this!" with that he, Riku, Tess, Kairi and Sora, walked into the portal, which closed up after them.

"They'll be alright," said Queen Minnie, "they have the light on their side."

"I know," said King Mickey, "I know."

* * *

The next thing Sora and the others knew, they were at a brightly lit, grassy courtyard surrounded by pink and blue buildings, the very air seemed alive with magic.

…_Alfea…the Realm of Magix…_

"This place is awesome," said an amazed Aiden, "and I'm not just talking about the dozens of scantly clad girls walking around here." True enough, there were several teenage girls, students at Alfea, all of them wearing various styles of highly fashionable clothing that were somewhat revealing.

"Don't let the twins hear you say that," said Kairi in a teasing manner.

"Hey, I can still look," said Aiden, "so long as I don't touch."

"If you guys don't mind," said Livy, "I've got other messages that need delivering. But if you need me to get the word out to someone, I'll know and be right there." With that the little blond pixy summoned another parchment surfboard and zoomed over the walls of the school and out of sight.

"I've got a feeling that things are only going to get weirder from here on out," said Aiden.

"And more fantastic," said Kairi.

It was at that moment that a woman with gray hair and wearing a blue and white suit and glasses walked towards Sora and the others. This was Faragonda, headmistress of Alfea.

"Ah, there you are," said Faragonda as she looked at Sora, Riku and Kairi, "the three brave warriors of light," she then saw Aiden and Tess, "and I do believe your numbers have grown since we last met."

"You could say that, Ms. Faragonda," said Kairi. She then introduced Aiden and Tess to the Alfea headmistress.

"An alchemist," said Faragonda as she shook Aiden's hand, then shook Tess's hand, "and one with the power of invisibility. How fascinating. But there'll be time to get to know you better later. Right now there are grave matters to discuss."

"Your message said that The Magical Dimension was facing a crisis worse than what The Trix did," said Riku.

"What could possibly be worse? Aiden asked, "we've faced some pretty awful stuff recently, so there are options that are worse than The Heartless."

"Is it a group of Nobodies?" Sora asked, "or demons?"

"The Wamphyri?" Tess asked, "We've vanquished a lot of those buggers just now. They're pushovers once you know what to do."

"The Stake, The Sword and The Flame," said Faragonda, "yes, I am familiar with the evil that is The Wamphyri, but this threat is far worse."

"Enlighten us then," said Aiden.

"Very well, Mr. Mackenzie," said Faragonda, "I'll try to keep it simple. I'm sure that you and Ms. Thatcher are aware of what your friends Sora, Riku and Kairi did to help The Realm of Magix defend against the evil of The Trix?"

"The psycho witches," Aiden asked, "yeah, Sora and the others told us about them."

"You guys helped beat them," said Tess, "and then they were taken away rehab for magical nutcases. If it were up to me, I'd have given them the axe."

"There are many whom share your opinion, young lady," said Faragonda as she showed our heroes inside the main building, "but unfortunately for all, The Trix, Icy, Darcy and Stormy, were taken to Light Rock Monastery, to be rehabilitated into normal society. They escaped and are wrecking havoc once again, but I'll get back to them in a bit."

"So they really are on the lose again," said Kairi, "they were insane in more ways than one," she looked at Tess, "you're right, we should have destroyed them when we had the chance."

"Glad to know that," said Tess. She then looked at Faragonda, "you were saying?"

"After Sora and his friends returned to their own realm," said Faragonda, "the process of reconstruction began. Over the summer Alfea was restored to its former glory, as well as the new edition which you've seen upon your arrival. Red Fountain was also rebuilt, now better than before."

"We did see that new tower," said Sora, "it's great."

"Can't wait to see the new Red Fountain," said Riku.

"As for Bloom and her fellow Winx," said Faragonda, "they had a relatively quiet summer vacation, unless you count their brief and horrific encounter with The Cybermen."

"Cybermen?" Kairi asked in a surprised tone, while Sora, Riku, Aiden and Tess looked equally surprised.

"Yes, Cybermen," said Faragonda "Have you met them?"

"No," said Sora, "it's just that…"

"We had our own encounter," said Riku, "with The Daleks."

"Daleks?" Faragonda asked, "tell me, did you happen do come across a big blue box and a certain meddling Time Lord?"

"The Doctor?" Aiden asked, "I had my own adventure with him, while our fight with The Daleks were a separate adventure as well. Wait, have you meet The Doctor?"

"He helped us defeat The Cybermen," said Faragonda, "tell me, how did he look? Las time we saw him, The Doctor had very short hair and spoke in a Northern accent."

"He had somewhat short hair and wore a bowtie," said Aiden, "He thought it was cool, but I just don't like bowties."

"He must have regenerated again," said Faragonda in a thoughtful manner as they reached her office, "well, The Doctor has always been able to take care of himself, more or less, and he always has his companions. But enough about old friends.

"On the first day of the new term, when Alfea opened its gates to new students and welcomed returning ones, a particular fairy, one Aisha, Princess of Andros, stumbled out of the woods and into the arms of Bloom and her friends.

"Aisha is more special than your average fairy because of her affinity with the Pixies. I'm sure you've encountered fae creatures of all shapes and sizes, but Pixies in The Magical Dimension have magic that's similar and different to fairy magic. The two grow stronger once a fairy bonds with a Pixy, both of them learning and becoming better than before."

"Kinda similar to Nessie and Jacob," said Kairi, "it sounds wonderful."

"Yes," said Faragonda, "not every fairy can bond with a Pixy, partly because there aren't that many Pixies at any given time. But when they do bond they form a friendship that lasts a lifetime.

"But now they face the same evil that threatens to bring ruin to all of The Magical Dimension. Not too long ago the entire home of the Pixies, Pixy Village, was hidden away from the realms. Only another Pixy can find their village, and they'll guard the secret with their lives from the evil that wishes to destroy us all.

"No one is really sure where he came from, but there is a being of pure evil whom has existed since the beginning of time and seeks to cover the Magical Dimension and the rest of the universe in darkness. Calling himself Lord Darkar, he commands The Shadow Fire, the polar opposite of Bloom's Dragonfire.

"Darkar holds sway over a vast underground realm that exists miles beneath our very feet; Shadowhaunt. This dark realm's very nature saps a fairy's energy to the point where she can barely do any magic down there. When Bloom and a few of her friends, including Aisha, journeyed to Shadowhaunt to rescue a group of Pixies that were captured by Darkar, they were barely at half strength."

"But they have such incredible magic," said Kairi.

"Their powers are great," said Faragonda, "and getting stronger as they learn, but only Bloom, Stella and Aisha had the stamina to venture into Shadowhaunt with any chance of success. Flora, Musa and Tecna wanted to go with them, but a short visit to a simulated Shadowhaunt proved that they couldn't handle it.

"Regardless of who was stronger, Bloom and her friends infiltrated Shadowhaunt. I won't go into all the details now, I'll leave it to Bloom and her friends to tell you of their underground exploits, but needless to say, when they reached Darkar's fortress, they were nearly overwhelmed.

"Not only were their powers seriously handicapped, they found themselves facing Dakar's Shadow Monsters," she then showed our heroes the image of three distinct monster types; the first was a crimson and indigo canine creature that was all claws and teeth, the second was a gray and blue humanoid that kind of resembled the alien from Alien, and the third was a bat-like creature that was also all fangs and claws.

"Aside from these and other species of Shadow Monsters" said Faragonda, "The Trix were there. Darkar broke them out of rehab and bestowed those insane witches with items of dark magic, Gloomix, that enhanced their already vast dark powers. It would have been the end of Bloom and the others, if it weren't for the timely arrival of an old colleague of mine who forced The Trix to retreat. You'll meet this old colleague of mine soon enough.

"Moving on, Aisha had tried to free her Pixy friends, but the dark barrier keeping them captive was too strong for her. But then they seemed to escape on their own. My fellow professors and I believe that Darkar allowed the Pixies to escape in order to discover the location of their village, which he hasn't yet, but he has tried."

"I'm starting to dislike this Darkar," said Tess as she irately crossed her arms.

"He doesn't sound that tough," said Aiden, "now Maleficent, and Gideon, they were tough."

"Unfortunately he is tough," said Faragonda, "aside from being a master of dark magic and his army of Shadow Monsters, he is also a shape shifter; he can assume any animal form he wishes, but when he transforms, he prefers the form of a phoenix.

"The good news is that we have a general idea of what his overall plan is. Darkar seeks access to the Realm of Realix, a strange world between worlds that no one seems to know much about, except that there is an item, a talisman of such power that it can make whomever wields it a living god."

"Another talisman?" Sora asked, "and I thought getting The Sacred Talisman of Zumakalis was tough."

"This is one talisman we want kept locked away," said Faragonda, "yet Darkar is halfway to obtaining access to Realix. A special key is needed, a Codex, which was divided into four pieces long ago. Three of the pieces were given to the three schools here on Magix; Alfea, Red Fountain and Cloud Tower, while the fourth is safe at Pixy Village."

"But you said that Darkar is halfway to getting the Codex," said Riku, "that means…"

"Darkar has two pieces," said Faragonda, "he sent The Trix to capture the pieces at Red Fountain and Cloud Tower. Both times The Winx and their friends at both schools tried to stop The Trix, and both times have failed. Just recently was the fiasco at Cloud Tower, where Bloom and The Winx were there not only to guard the Codex piece, but also to foster better relations with the witches there.

"Needless to say, things didn't go so well. Only a handful of the student witches warmed to the idea of having fairies there as exchange students, while not that many more were comfortable with the idea of working with them for a common goal.

"Only four witches welcomed Bloom and the others as friends and fully cooperated with them, whom you already know; Carmen Dawson, Cloud Tower student body president, Morgan Rodgers, Elise Caplin and Mirta Gordon, whom as you know is half fairy half witch."

"We met them," said Riku, "they're, as they like to call themselves, awesomely bad."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tess asked.

"It means we can be both naughty and nice at the same time," said a girl's voice from behind them. Sora, Riku and Kairi recognized the limping witch approaching them as Carmen, whom had long black hair with blue highlights, yellowish green eyes behind heavy sunglasses and wearing a black and orange shirt with black jeans and one black high-healed boot on her right foot. The left was incased in a walking cast.

"Carmen!" said Sora.

"Glad to know you remember me, pretty boy," said Carmen as she limped up to our heroes, "we never did find out which of us could kill the most Heartless."

"Well he's been killing a lot more Heartless than you can imagine," said Kairi in a slightly annoyed tone.

"So you're ahead of me," said Carmen, "and judging from the power vibes you guys are generating, you're ahead of me by a lot," she then smiled brightly, "but that doesn't mean that I'm a pushover. I've got plenty of moves in my repertoire," she then frowned, "but none of them did any good against The Trix and their tacky Gloomix."

"Is that how you broke your leg?" Riku asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," said Carmen, "we did our best, The Winx, my friends and I, and headmistress Griffin, but none of it mattered. The Trix countered our every move, every spell we used, they either endured or blocked it, they were so strong. Those Gloomix are ugly items but they're powerful magic boosters."

"Just how powerful are they?" Aiden asked.

"I shot one of my best gravity spells at Icy," said Carmen, "I wanted to crush her like a bug, but she snuffed it out like a candle. She then shot one of her freezing curses at me that would have turned me into a meat popsicle if I hadn't jumped in time. I wound up impaled through the leg by a icicle and it broke my shinbone."

"Why didn't you use a healing spell?" Kairi asked, "or better yet, I could heal it."

"You could try," said Carmen, "but I already had a healing spell used on me. It should have healed my leg almost instantly, but it didn't, only speed up the normal healing process, it'll be another day or two before I'm back to 100%."

"Good gods!" said Aiden.

"I know," said Carmen, "there's something about those Gloomix that enriches dark magic to the point where countering it is only a fraction as effective."

"I'm so sorry," said Kairi.

"Don't feel bad about me," said Carmen, "I only got a broken leg. Elise had her arm broken in three places, but she's healing a bit faster than I am so she's alright. Morgan, she got off lucky with just a black eye."

"I still feel sorry for you," said Kairi.

"You want to feel sorry for anyone," said Carmen, "feel sorry for Icy and her bitch sisters. Just before The Trix teleported out with the Cloud Tower piece of the Codex, Morgan threw a rock at them."

"She give one of The Trix a black eye?" Tess asked.

"Better than that," said Carmen as she smiled wickedly, "the rock had a piece of paper tied to it, and on that paper was an explosive glyph, turning the rock into a grenade. It got teleported with all three of them. I don't know exactly what happened, but they sure must have gotten a big surprise when they got back to Shadowhaunt."

"Personal satisfaction aside," said Faragonda, "The Winx and their friends in witchcraft did their best to stop The Trix but they had several factors against them. Aside from the enhanced dark powers of The Trix, Bloom and her friends were sabotaged."

"Sabotaged?" Sora asked.

At that, Carmen looked like she was halfway ready to punch a hole in the wall, "Of all the incompetent, irresponsible and downright unnecessarily cruel jokes," she said in an irate tone, "one of the teachers at Cloud Tower thought it would be funny to put a little spell on the Winx, a discord spell that's seriously put a damper on their friendship."

"What's a discord spell?" Tess asked.

"A dark magic spell that brings out negative emotions in friendships," said Faragonda, "where friends used to get along in harmony, it is replaced by disharmony, leading to arguments, insults and if allowed to carry on for too long, the end of said friendship.

"It's worse for The Winx because the spell is more powerful when cast on larger groups of friends. Ever since they got hit by the spell they keep getting into arguments and shouting matches. Even more worse is that they are now unable to achieve Convergence, which is when two or more fairies combine their powers to create an even more powerful magic, but only of the fairies involved are in perfect harmony with each other."

"They were trying a Convergence spell, all six of them," said Carmen, "and if it worked they would have brought down The Trix before they got their slimy paws on the second Codex piece. But the Convergence backfired because of their disharmony and The Trix got away, not unscathed, but they got away, which is why I'm making it my second vendetta to sue the teacher responsible for this fiasco."

"Can you do that?" Sora asked, "can a student sue a teacher?"

"I can if it's a good enough reason," said Carmen in a vindictive tone, "The Winx visited Cloud Tower not only to protect the Codex piece but also to learn more about witchcraft and what it is to be a witch. They visited our school to help bring fairies and witches closer, to heal the rift of hate that's kept us divided for so long that no one remembers why we hate each other in the first place.

"But what happened to The Winx was nothing more than sheer prejudice-induced stupidity. As soon as my lawyer gets back from holiday, I'm suing. But in the meantime, I can only do what I can to help keep the third Codex piece safe, that's why my friends and I are here at Alfea."

"Well, so are we," said Sora, "we'll show those rotten Trix that they can't walk over everyone."

"And Darkar," said Kairi.

"Him too," said Sora.

"And help The Winx get their mojo back," said Tess.

"That too," said Aiden.

"I'm afraid it will take more than sheer determination to counter a discord spell," said a stern voice. There stood a tall woman in a blue and white suit with shoulder-length brown hair and wearing glasses and a stern look on her face.

"Oh, try to be a bit more optimistic, Griselda," said Faragonda, "Sora and his fellow Keyblade Wielders fully intend to do their best."

"Their best may not be enough this time," said deputy headmistress Griselda, "this isn't like last year when all we had to deal with was just The Trix and a horde of Heartless," she looked at Sora, Riku and Kairi, "I can tell that you three have improved since your last visit to Alfea," she then looked at Aiden and Tess, "and you two are no slouches either, but this time we are dealing with Darkar, the one who created The Ancestress Coven."

"You mean that Darkar made the evil witches who destroyed Domino?" Kairi asked, "the ones who forced Bloom to go into hiding?"

"The very same," said Griselda.

"If he's so powerful," said Aiden, "why hasn't he tried to take the Codex pieces himself? And come to think of it, if the Codex is the key to unlocking this dangerous power, why didn't you destroy one or all of the pieces when you learned that Darkar was after it?"

"We would have if we knew where the pieces were," said Griselda, "but only a handful of people know where in the three schools the pieces were hidden, and as for the one in Pixy Village, they believe that so long as their village remains safe, then their piece is safe too."

"The only ones who know exactly where to find the Codex pieces are four special Pixies," said Faragonda, "the first one, Ninfea, is essentially the mayor of Pixy Village, the others act as special guardians of the three schools. One of them, Concorda, happens to be a very dear and old friend of mine, is Alfea's Guardiant Pixy, while Athena is the Guardian Pixy of Red Fountain and Cloud Tower's Guardian is Discorda. I'm sure you'll meet them in due time.

"To continue, while the Red Fountain and Cloud Tower pieces of the Codex have been taken, the ones at Alfea and Pixy Village are still safe, with Pixy Village still hidden from the rest of the universe and the Alfea piece secure in the school's secret archives, which only myself, Condorda and Bloom know it's location, though Bloom doesn't know that the piece is in the archives."

"But we know now," said Aiden.

"I pretty much figured out that it was in the archives," said Carmen, "just a lucky guess."

"So as long as no one blabs to the enemy about Alfea and Pixy Village," said Riku, "the last two pieces are safe."

"So all we have to worry about right this second," said Kairi, "is helping Bloom and The Winx get their groove back. No problem."

"If only it were that easy," said Faragonda, "but, that's no reason to not try our best. I have the utmost confidence in you Keyblade Wielders."

"And us awesomely bad witches," said Carmen.

"Then let's get to work," said Sora.

Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess, as well as Carmen, left Faragonda's office and walked through the Alfea hallways. Here and there was a random fairy in training, sometimes there were two of them. They all stared at Sora and the others while giving sharp glances at Carmen. Some of them smiled and giggled at Sora, Riku and Aiden, while a few others blushed.

"Pay no attention to them," said Carmen as she limped along side Sora and the others, "they're mostly freshmen fairies who haven't found a boyfriend at Red Fountain."

"And what about you?" Kairi asked, "have you found a boyfriend yet?"

"Haven't had time," said Carmen.

"Well what have you been doing since we were last here?" Sora asked.

"Well," said Carmen in a thoughtful tone, "aside from the usual curriculum and extracurricular activities associated at Cloud Tower, I've also had to deal with being Student Body President."

"Oh yeah, you did get elected," said Sora, "how's that going for you?"

At that Carmen sighed, "it has it's ups and downs. Yes, my fellow students all look up to me for help with their issues and I have made a few adjustments to the school rules. We're now allowed to have hotplates in our dorms and do our own cooking if we choose."

"You didn't have that before?" Aiden asked.

"All meals were either had at the school cafeteria or at a restaurant in Magix," said Carmen, "or ordered in. Elise, Morgan and I ran up a really high pizza tab our freshman year."

"Is the food that bad at Cloud Tower?" Tess asked.

"It's at best mediocre and bland," said Carmen, "and you don't want to know how worse it can get. One of the first things I convinced Headmistress Griffin and the school board to change was to allow students to do their own cooking. Of course, when The Winx came over for the exchange program, we neglected to tell Bloom and the others they didn't have to eat what was on the cafeteria menu," she smirked, "yeah, that was pretty funny."

"I can see that you witches still delight in tormenting others," said Kairi in an annoyed tone.

"Hey, we're not all about making people miserable," said Carmen, "we witches have our good points."

Before Sora could ask what the good points were, they came across two of The Winx in the hallway ahead of them; They then saw Stella, princess of Solaria, Fairy of The Sun and Moon, arguing with Flora, from Linpheia, Fairy of nature.

Stella had long golden blonde hair, brown eyes and a medium skin tone. She wore an green halter top with a orange skirt and green sandals. Flora was tall with tan skin, jade eyes and long brown hair with blond bangs. She wore a green midriff, off-the-shoulder top with puff sleeves, a fuchsia colored, faux wrap, a short skirt decorated with strawberries, two sets of yellow bangle bracelets on each arm, and fuchsia colored platform sandals.

Hovering above the two arguing fairies were two Pixies. The one above Stella had long, dark magenta hair with small roses in a green headband. Her eyes were blue and she wore a light pink puffy-sleeved dress. Her wings were also green. This is Amore, Pixy of Love and was bonded to Stella.

The Pixy above Flora had long, curly bronze-gold pigtails, bangs, and slightly tanned skin with big amber eyes, wearing a green top and skirt and had blue wings. This was Chatta, Pixy of Gossip and was bonded to Flora.

"You know you're wrong, Flora and you know it!" said Stella in an accusatory manner, "take back what you said about my favorite fashion designers!"

"I will not!" said Flora, "your favorite designers illegally built their factory on protected woodlands! You wear the products of murder!"

"I know that you think trees and plants are just like people," said Stella, "but they're just that; trees and plants! And my designers don't have a factory! Everything they make is made with magic."

"Their property was still made on protected land!" said Flora.

"Will both of you please calm down!" said Amore, "you're going to ruin what's left of your friendship!"

"You're stronger than a discord spell," said Chatta, "just take a moment to clear your heads."

"Chatta, you're a very dear friend of mine," said Flora in an annoyed tone, "but will you please stop interrupting? Stella and I are having an argument."

"A baseless argument," said Stella, "I'm right and you're wrong!"

"You're just saying that because you're a princess and I'm not!" said Flora.

"That's not it at all!" said Stella.

"Yes it is!" said Flora, "you always have had your way just because you're the heir of an entire planet. You always have to have everything you want and damn the consequences!"

"You see how bad things have gotten?" Carmen asked Sora and the others, "Flora's usually the calm, quiet, collected one." she then limped forward to the arguing fairies, "if you two ladies would just shut up for a second, you'd realize that some old friends are here."

At that Flora and Stella saw our heroes, "Sora, Riku, Kairi!" said a surprised Stella.

"When did you get here?" Flora asked.

"We just got here," said Sora, "we heard that you and the other Winx were in a jam."

"You could say that again," said Stella.

"Aren't you going to introduce us to your friends?" Chatta asked.

"Oh, sorry," said Flora. She and Stella then introduced the two Pixies to our heroes, while Sora introduced Aiden and Tess.

"What happened to Donald and Goofy?" Stella asked.

"They've got their own mission," said Kairi, "and so do we."

"We're here to help you Winx get your groove back," said Aiden.

"What are you talking about?" Stella asked, "there's nothing wrong with my groove, not now, not ever."

"You're full of it," said Flora, "in more ways than one."

"If I'm so full of it," said Stella in an annoyed tone, "then so are you!"

Before either Flora could make a retort or our heroes could try to calm them down, there came the sound of three girls shouting that was growing louder..

"Now what?" Tess asked.

"That would be three more of The Winx," Carmen sighed in an exasperated tone..

They then saw Musa, from The Harmonic Nebula and Fairy of Misa, Tecna, from Zenith and Fairy of Technology, and the newest member of The Winx, Aisha, princess of Andros and Fairy of Water. The three of them were arguing as they walked down the hallway

Musa was Asian in appearance with blackish blue hair done up in two pigtails and deep blue eyes. She wore red single-shoulder top with baggy blue jeans and red sneakers. Tecna had magenta colored, pixie/boy-cut styled hair, teal eyes, and a pale skin tone. She wore a soft purple and lime green vest top, soft purple flared fitted cropped pants and shoes of the same color. Aisha was a dark-skinned girl with long, wavy dark brown hair and cerulean eyes. She wore a soft purple tank top with a small blue colored wave logo on it, a khaki miniskirt, khaki hiking boots, and soft purple leg warmers.

Above Musa was a Pixy with pale purple hair in curls and a Victorian-style outfit in purple, white, and blue with a blue bow in her hair. She had pink make-up that makes sharp points above her eyes, a fair skin tone and violet eyes. Her wings were purple with a purple glow. This was Tune, Pixy of Etiquette, and bonded to Musa.

Above Tecna was a Pixy with a futuristic appearance, wearing a light blue/dark blue jumpsuit and blue mullet-like hair with a light blue streak down the middle. Her wings were blue with yellow outline. This was Digit, Pixy of Nanotechnology and bonded to Tecna.

In Aisha's arms was a very small Pixy with dark skin and soft light green eyes. She was dressed in a pair of cream-colored striped pajama pants with red piping and a little tank top is rose pink with cream spots. On her head was a darker rose pink puffy nightcap with dark cream spots, a light cream headband and trimming, and a dark maroon ribbon tying it down. Her wings were small and light pink. Her whole appearance painted her as very young. This was Piff, Pixy of Sweet Sleep and bonded to Aisha.

"I don't care what you've seen, Aisha!" snapped Tecna, "you simply can't eat one hundred marshmallows in a single sitting. The body cannot take them!"

"I say differently!" said Aisha, "I saw some of the guards at the Andros Palace make a bet on who can eat the most marshmallows. The winner ate one hundred."

"But it's impossible!" said Tecna, "utterly inconceivable! Not only can't the body process all that sugar, the marshmallows will expand before they're fully digested. You'd burst on the inside before you'd get halfway!"

"I saw what I saw!" said Aisha.

"You know," said Musa, "I once knew someone who ate fifty hard boiled eggs in an hour, so maybe you can eat a hundred marshmallows."

"You both are delusional!" said Tecna, "the human digestive system simply cannot process that much food at a time!"

"Not even half," said Digit.

"And how would you know that?" Musa asked.

"I looked it up," said Digit.

"Of course you did, you know it all," said Musa in an annoyed tone.

"Musa!" said a shocked Tune, "I cannot believe that you would be so uncouth, not only to your friends but to one of mine."

"Well excuse me for having a bad week!" snapped Musa.

At that the little Pixy in Aisha's arms began bawling like there was no tomorrow.

"Oh, now you've done it," said Aisha, "you've upset Piff!"

"So it's my fault that the baby keeps crying?" Musa asked.

"Oh switch off!" said Tecna.

"You switch off!" said Musa.

"You both switch off!" snapped Kairi as she walked over, "Sweet niblets! I thought you all were better than this. I guess I was wrong."

"Kairi?" Musa asked, "what are you doing here?"

"Apparently trying my hand at group therapy," said Kairi.

She, Sora, Riku, Kairi and Aiden were then introduced to Aisha, as well as Tune, Digit and Piff.

"So, why are you back here at Alfea?" Tecna asked.

"I thought I made it clear," said Kairi.

"We're here to help you fairies work out your friendship issues," said Sora.

"And to show Darkar that he can't work his wickedness without consequences," said Aiden.

"And to put The Trix in jail where they belong," said Tess, "or give them the axe, whichever works best for us."

"I know a store that sells really great axes," said Carmen, "give me an hour and I'll get one on a discount."

"Wait, aren't we missing someone?" Riku asked, "where's Bloom?"

"That's a very good question," said Musa, "she's been acting really strange all day, ever since that last session with Professor Avalon."

"With who?" Riku asked.

"The newest edition to the Alfea staff," said a smiling Tecna, "Professor Avalon, a paladin and teacher of cognitive analysis."

"And he's handsome to boot," said Stella, "not as cute as my darling Brandon, but still handsome."

"That playboy has nearly every girl at Alfea swooning," said Carmen, "I honestly don't see the attraction."

"I'm not surprised," said Musa, "your track record for boys doesn't paint you in a straight light."

At that Carmen glared at Musa, "are you implying what I think you're implying? I'm not that way! I just haven't had time for a boyfriend! I can get any man I want when the mood strikes me. I'm straight, end of discussion!"

"I never said you were otherwise," said Musa.

"Yes you were," said Carmen.

"No I'm not," said Musa, "I was saying that being a witch goes against you."

"Is that a fact!" exclaimed Carmen.

"Hey, stop it, both of you!" shouted Kairi.

"About time someone made them shut up," said Aisha.

"And you too!" said Kairi, "I know we just met, but you're part of the problem as well. All you Winx have a serious problem, well, we're here to fix it, one way or another."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Stella asked.

"It means that you're going to get help," said Riku, "whether you want it or not."

"We're still missing Bloom," said Sora, "does anyone know where she is?"

"I don't know," said Flora. "Ever since she contracted that shadow virus, her mood has been having some pretty serious swings."

"Shadow virus?" Carmen asked in a concerned tone, "this is the first I've heard of it."

"She was with Professor Avalon earlier today," said Stella, "some kind of memory recall exercise, when she picked up some weird, temporarily personality disorder."

"You know that Bloom's normally calm and overall nice and only loses her temper when pushed too far," said Tecna, "well, since this morning, she's been acting like a jerk on and off; insulting her friends and pulling rather mean-spirited pranks."

"And her eyes," said Musa, "whenever she had one of those mood swings, her eyes would change."

"Her eyes changed?" Carmen asked in a serious tone, "what color were they?"

"Yellow," said Aisha, "and they kinda looked like they belong on a snake."

"Son of a banshee," said Carmen in a shocked tone.

"Uh…are you alright?" Sora asked.

"Shadow virus my eye," said Carmen scared yet determined tone, "I've seen this before." She then pulled out a black Mobile and hit a speed dial button, "Elise? Where are you?"

"What's going on?" Aisha asked, "Professor Avalon said it was a shadow virus and it would go away after a while."

"Trust me," said Carmen, "it's no shadow virus…yes, Elise…you're in town…look, we've got a Code D. I need you to pop over to our dorm and get _The Book_…yes, the one I keep in a dimensional pocket under my mattress for safe keeping…I can't get it myself, you know that I can't teleport while my leg is still healing, it's a side effect of Icy's spell, you know that…I don't care if your arm is broken, you have a higher immunity than I do and a better healing factor, you can still teleport…I don't know where Morgan is and she always leaves her phone in the charger…look, just do it and I'll do your share of the chores for a month…until the end of the term? Are you crazy…for crying out loud! We don't have time to negotiate…alright, I'll do it until the end of the term, now go get the freaking book already!" with that the irately hung up her phone.

"Unbelievable," said Carmen as she pocketed her phone, "you ask a friend for a favor and she tries to turn it into a deal brokering session."

"You didn't tell us that your magic was out of sorts because you got hurt," said Flora.

"You didn't ask," said Carmen, "look, I'm just having trouble teleporting. Everything else I can do is alright. Now, everyone, just find Bloom and hope to the gods that she hasn't gone completely psycho."

Before anyone could ask what Carmen was talking about, they saw a Pixy flying towards them like a bat out of hell. The Pixy had short, pink hair held in place with a green flower pin and slightly tanned skin tone, green eyes and purple lashes. She wore a pink lace dress with a keyhole and green lace up boots. This was Lockette, Pixy of Portals and bonded to Bloom.

"Lockette," said Tune in a concerned tone, "what's gotten you all upset?"

"It's Bloom!" shouted Lockette in a frantic tone, "she's completely lost it!"

"We're too late," said Carmen in a distant tone, "it's taken over," she looked at Sora, Stella and the others and spoke with dead seriousness, "okay, new plan. When you find Bloom, just tie her down. Try not to hurt her, but do what you have to do to restrain her so she doesn't hurt you or anyone else. I'll be back as soon as I can with Elise and, hopefully, Morgan." With that she hobbled down the hallway.

"There goes a very strange person," said Tess.

"Never mind that," said Lockette, "Bloom needs help, now!"

"Just calm down and tell us what happened," said Flora.

"Well," said Lockette, "I was with Bloom, and all of a sudden she started acting mean, like she has been all day. I thought it was just the shadow virus, but this is something else, like she was a completely different person. She completely ignored me as she headed to a specific spot in the school, some place that I never knew was there before. It turned out to be the Alfea Secret Archives. Bloom walked in and started ransacking the room."

"Faragonda said that the Secret Archives was where the third Codex piece was," said Kairi.

"And now Bloom is looking for it," said Aiden.

"But Faragonda said that Bloom didn't know it was there," said Sora, "what's going on here?"

"Let's go find out," said Flora.

"Show us where Bloom went, Lockette," said Stella, "whatever's messing with her now, we'll deal with it."

"Like we dealt with The Trix at Cloud Tower?" Musa asked in a depressed tone. At that Stella also looked depressed.

"Oh don't start on that again!" said Aisha.

"Don't you start harping on her!" said Tecna.

"All of you stop it!" snapped Tess, "your friend is in trouble! If you can't get around this irrational need to argue all the time, then you're definitely not Bloom's friends."

"We are Bloom's friends!" said Flora.

"And we'll prove it," said Stella. "come on, everyone! Magix Winx!"

In a flash of colored lights, the five Winx had transformed into their Fairy outfits.

Stella wore a sparkling orange one-shoulder top and mini-shorts, with knee-high boots of the same color. She wore her hair in two pigtails with orange tube ties. She also had light blue cuff wrist bands and a headband of the same color. Her wings were three leaflets with the color of powder blue with teal tips.

Flora's outfit was primarily fuchsia and orchid in color, and consisted of a sparkling one piece, bare shouldered top that concealed a pair of mini shorts and ankle-high boots that were also the same color. A green choker with a pink colored four petal flower adorned her neck, and she had wrist length fingerless gloves covering her arms. Her wings were lime green.

Musa wore a sparkling red top with translucent pink fabric at the middle, a red mini skirt, and knee-high wedge red boots. She also wore purple headphones atop her head and purple ribbons around her forearms with the one on her left arm has loose ends hanging from it. Her wings were translucent bright blue with purple bands in the middle. She had magenta shorts on under her skirt

Tecna's outfit was unarguably the most distinctive of all The Winx, as it covered most of her. The outfit was mainly a full body suit of a sparkling lavender color covering the torso and legs. She had powder blue sleeves which covered her hands and blue knee-high boots. Adorning her head was a lavender helmet which had a lime green tear-shaped brooch on it, similar to the one on her chest. Her wings were green bars which can form small squares on her back, in the shape of a glider. These wings help her fly supported by digital energy considering they cannot flutter.

As for Aisha, her outfit was a sparkly green shoulder top, a sparkly green mini skirt atop green mini shorts, and green boots. She also wore a green sash connecting her top and skirt, and several silver rings around her outfit and on her arms. Aisha's wings were sky blue with mauve tips.

"Whoa," said both Aiden and Tess.

"I know we've seen it before," said Kairi, "but it's still impressive."

"Less talk, more friend saving," said Stella. With that she, Flora, Musa, Tecna and Aisha took flight, as well as the other Pixies, with Lockette leading the way, while Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess.

"Am I the only one who's noticed that we do a lot of running?" Aiden asked.

"It's good exercise," said Kairi.

"Good point," said Sora.

They soon came to an apparent dead end in the hallway. The wall ahead had a portrait of an infinite corridor that was in fact a secret door, which happened to be ajar. Outside the doorway was a Pixy with dark blue eyes behind tiny glasses and blond hair curled into buns at her ears. She wore light and dark blue robes and a pointed blue hat. This was Condorda, Guardian Pixy of Alfea.

"Ms. Condorda!" said Lockette as she and everyone else reached the ajar hidden door.

"When you said you were going for help, young Lockette," said Condorda as she saw The Winx and Keyblade Wielders, "I didn't expect you to return with an army, not that their help isn't appreciated."

"Is Bloom still in there?" Musa asked.

"Yes," said a worried Condorda, "and still making a horrific mess. Honestly, I trust the girl to keep the Secret Archives a secret and she ends up going on a rampage."

"Then let's stop her before she makes things worse," said Riku. With that they all walked into the hidden room.

Sora heard all of The Winx gasp in surprise as the sheer size and majesty of the archives, "what a place!" said Tecna, "I never thought there could be anything like this at our school."

"Stay focused, Winx," said Musa in an annoyed tone, "this isn't summer camp." She then looked and pointed up, "and judging by the look on Bloom's face, she's no happy camper, either."

They then all heard a vicious laugh coming from above. There hovered Bloom in her fairy outfit, a sparkly light blue top decorated with a gold jewel at the center of her chest, a matching light blue miniskirt with matching color shorts under her skirt and light blue ankle boots. She also had light blue gloves around her arms from elbow to wrist. Nestled in her long red and orange hair was a small golden tiara with rounded points at the top of her head. Her wings were cyan with teal tips.

Yet there was something wrong about her. Bloom's normally cyan eyes had become yellow and snakelike, while her normally pale skin had a sinister aura about it.

"Are you okay, Bloom?" Flora asked in a worried tone.

"Never better, Flora," said Bloom in a tone that dripped with mocked kindness. She then looked down at Sora and the others, "hey, I remember you guys. Sora, Riku and Kairi," she looked at Aiden and Tess, "you two, I don't know, but all in all, you all are pathetic."

"Pathetic!" exclaimed Sora, "I helped save your life, remember?"

"As if I needed the help of any loser," said Bloom.

"You're sick, Bloom!" said Kairi, "in more ways than one!"

"More to the point, Bloom," said Tecna as she scanned said fairy with a pair of computerized goggles, "is that you're holding Alfea's piece of the Codex."

"Yes," said Concorda, "and unless you can convince her to give it back, Alfea and all of Magix will be in terrible danger."

"Well, if you're talking about Darkar," said Aisha, "say no more. We're on it!" she then waved to her fellow Winx, "Come on, let's go!" She then began charging up a bright fuchsia spell, but Musa stopped her.

"Wait!" said Musa as she placed her hand on Aisha's shoulder.

"Let me talk to her," said Flora as she gave her friends a reassuring smile. She then stepped forward and looked up, "Bloom! Try to see reason! We're you're best friends!"

"And I couldn't care less, Flora!" said Bloom in a vicious tone, "I'm sick and tired of all the fake cheeriness and sunshine, and all those cute heart-shaped notes you pass to your nitwit boyfriends. You're pathetic!"

At that Stella and the others, sans Aisha, looked shocked and angered, while Flora looked deeply ashamed.

Lockette tried to comfort her, "Flora, don't listen to her, that's not Bloom talking!"

"Bingo!" shouted Bloom as she sent a sphere of Dragonfire down at everyone. Sora and the others all dodged it.

"I'll she's being controlled by Darkar's evil magic," said Flora's bonded Pixy, Chatta.

"She's right!" said Musa.

"Well," said Stella, "if Bloom's under a shadow spell, then a dose of sunshine therapy will restore the mental balance of our friend!" she then unleashed a massive burst of sunlight that briefly blinded Sora and the others.

But when the light-spell faded, Bloom was still hovering in the air, her eyes still yellow and snakelike, "nice try, Stella," she said with a vicious smile, "but not good enough?"

"What?" Stella asked, "it didn't even phase her? I can't believe my eyes!"

Just then Bloom was surrounded by a dark purple aura, "ready for it! Here it comes!" she then sent out more spheres of Dragonfire at our heroes. Sora and the others dodged them, while Stella and her fellow Winx were distracted from the spells they were trying to cast, "if you want it another way," said Bloom as she sent out more Dragonfire spheres, "I won't hold it against you."

"You asked for it!' said an irate Stella, "Take this!" she then sent out a pillar of light at bloom that took the corrupted fairy by surprise, hitting her.

"Bull's-eye!" said Stella. But then she was shocked to see that her spell had no effect on Bloom, whom then started laughing wickedly.

"What's wrong, Winx? You don't honestly think you can keep me in check, do you?" she charged up an even more powerful sphere of Dragonfire, "let's see you try and I'll destroy you all!"

At that Stella and her friends were shocked into paralysis. But then Lockette flew up and abruptly kissed Bloom on the cheek, "we're still your friends, Bloom," said the tiny pixy, "all of us, whether you like it or not."

"How dare you!" spat Bloom in a disgusted tone. She then closed her eyes in pain, her voice groaning.

"That's Lockette's special gift," said Aisha, "it's the only thing that can help Bloom find herself again."

Just then Bloom's eyes returned to their normal cyan blue, "Lockette," she said, "that…that really helped," she looked down, "Stella, everyone," she then saw Sora and the others, "Sora, Kairi, Riku, you're here too."

"You're back, Bloom!" said Flora.

"Now just fly down here, Bloom," said Stella, "and give us the Codex piece back. You really don't want it, do you?"

But then Bloom's eyes turned yellow again, "you mean this?" she asked as she held up the Codex piece, "_I_ don't want it, but Master Darkar wants it!" she then shouted in rage and shot a fireball up at the glass ceiling and shattered one of the panels.

Then with a flash of dark magic, Bloom's whole appearance had changed. Her fairy outfit, normally a sparkly light blue was now dark blue, her nails were colored black and her whole body had an insidious aura about it.

"Lockette," she said as she glared at said pixy, "you tried to trick me, and I thought we were partners."

"No, I really was trying to help!" exclaimed the terrified Lockette.

Bloom then raised her hand to swat Lockette out of the air, but then she cried out in pain and clutched her head. She closed her eyes and opened them, said eyes now blue again, "everyone!" she shouted, "you…you've got to stop me!"

"We will, Bloom!" shouted Techna, "I'm searching for a means to counter the shadow virus!"

"No!" shouted Bloom in a pained tone, "it's not…a shadow…virus! It's…it's!" she then cried out in pain and her eyes turned yellow again, "it's just me, the real me!" she laughed cruelly.

"I think I have an idea of what's really going on," said Riku.

"Tell us later," said Musa, "we've got to act now."

"We've got to get that Codex piece away from her," said Tecna.

"Without hurting her if possible," said Kairi.

"Leave that to me," said Flora as she cast a spell on a nearby flower, causing it to grow to immense size, becoming a tendril that wrapped itself around Bloom.

"Now what?" Bloom asked as the vine-like flower ensnared her, "flowers? For me? I really hate flowers.!" she then burned the vine off of her, "especially now, they clash with my new look," she glared down at Stella, "you were right, a makeover was just what I needed."

"Me and my big mouth," said Stella.

"What now?" Flora asked.

"Well," said Musa as she charged up her spell, "time to make her listen to reason!" she then sent her music-based spell at Bloom, a pulse of sound that shook several books off their shelves and tumbling at Bloom, whom had to duck and cover her head

"Oh dear!" said Concorda, "this is a librarian's worse nightmare!"

As if in retaliation, Bloom sent a dark fireball at the fallen books, burning them to ashes, "Pathetic, Musa," said Bloom, "weak and pathetic."

"Keep talking, Bloom," said Aisha as she charged up a spell, "it'll only make things worse for you! Take this!" she then shot a sphere of her Morphix at Bloom, whom caught it with her bare hand and dispersed it.

"A pink bubble?" Bloom asked, "I'd like to say 'hit me with your best shot,' but it looks like you already have!"

"Then how about my best shot!' shouted Riku as he shot his Dark Aura at Bloom, who easily dodged it.

"And mine!" said Sora as he sent a Thunder spell up at Bloom, whom also dodged it.

"And here I thought The Winx were pathetic," sneered Bloom. She then shot two fireballs down at Sora and Riku, who both barely got out of the way.

"Just you wait till I get up there!" shouted Tess. She then ran to the nearest bookcase and jumped to a shelf several feet off the ground. She then jumped to another shelf, then another and another, getting higher and higher, until she was almost at Bloom's height.

"As if I'll give you a chance," said Bloom as she shot a stream of dark fire at Tess. Tess got her Keyblade up in time to deflect the fire, but lost her balance and fell from the bookshelf and onto Riku and Aiden, sending all three sprawling to the ground.

"You have to stop this, Bloom!' shouted Kairi.

"I'm just getting _warmed _up!" laughed Bloom as she sent several spheres of dark fire down at Kairi, whom barely managed to dodged them.

"Great," said Stella, "now she's making puns."

"Her power's right off the scale," said Tecna as she continued to scan Bloom, "I honestly don't know what to do to stop her."

"But still," said Stella as Riku, Kairi, Tess and Aiden regrouped, "little miss dragon girl is totally irrational." Her face set with determination, she took flight, "I won't hold back this time!"

Stella then sent a massive blast of pure sunlight at Bloom, causing the corrupted fairy to shield her eyes from the intense illumination. But then Bloom's face twisted with rage, "you asked for it, Winx, and Keyblade brats! Fight fire with fire!"

Around Bloom appeared a flaming spiral of magic that then exploded with force, knocking Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, Aisha, Riku, Aiden and Tess to the ground. Only Sora and Kairi were able to endure the massive attack and were still standing.

"What happened?" Stella asked as she sat up and looked around in confusion, "where's Bloom? I didn't disintegrated her, did I?"

"Does that look like she's disintegrated? Riku asked as he pointed up, seeing Bloom flying towards the hole she made in the roof.

"Look!" shouted Flora as she pointed to a small black, bat-like creature that had appeared in the hole and was now approaching Bloom, whom had the Codex piece held up. "That creature works for Darkar!"

"There you are, little one," said Bloom, a smile of vicious glee on her face as she cast a hovering spell on the oval crystal, "take this to the master!"

The creature grabbed the Codex piece in its claws and took flight.

"Oh no you don't!" shouted Aiden as he aimed his Keyblade at the bat creature and fired a bolt of alchemic energy, intending to transmute the air around the creature into acid. The creature dodged the blast, which went off into the air.

"Destroy the crystal!" shouted Riku as he fired bolt after bolt of Dark Aura at the creature, while Sora also shot several fireballs.

"Not this year!" shouted Bloom as she cast a shield of fire, blocking Sora's and Riku's attacks. She then looked at the bat creature, "Go! Deliver the piece to Darkar!"

At that the bat creature flew off into the air and vanished.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Flora.

"Oh yes!" shouted Bloom, "and now to finish you pathetic losers off!"

Just then Morgan, a witch with shoulder length brown hair with blue highlights, one eye green and the other blue, wearing blue skirt and orange shoes, a green and black t-shirt, while her right hand had a fingerless glove on and with nails were painted red and orange alternately, ran into the archives.

"Here you guys all are," said Morgan as she saw The Winx, "I've been looking all over for you." She then looked up and saw Bloom, "holy crap! Who made you switch sides all of a sudden? I can sense your inner darkness from all the way down here."

"She's not herself," said Sora, "but we're not sure exactly what's messing with her."

"I've got a pretty good idea what the problem is," said Morgan as she looked at Sora, Riku and Kairi, "nice to see you again, by the way." She then took flight, stopping right in front of Bloom, "I know you can hear me, Bloom, the real you, I know you're still in there. I'm here to help fix things."

"I'm perfectly fine," said Bloom as she charged up another sphere of dark fire, "and you have a reservation in the burn ward!" she then shot the fireball at Morgan, whom vanished before the dark flames hit her.

"What?" Bloom asked as she looked around in confusion, "what is this? Where are you, you pathetic trickster?"

Morgan then reappeared behind Bloom and grabbed her with a bear hug that not only restrained the corrupted fairy's arms, but also her wings. Gravity then took over and sent the two of them plummeting to the ground.

Aisha then cast a spell that created a cushion of her Morphix that caught Bloom and Morgan before they were hurt on impact. The cushion vanished and the two were on the ground. Immediately, Bloom struggled to free herself from Morgan.

"Let go of me, you witch!" spat Bloom, "I'll fry you up like a chicken!"

"Oh now that's just cruel," said Morgan, "I happen to like friend chicken," she then looked at Sora, Stella and the others, "don't just stand here like idiots! Help me! Grab her before she gets lose and cooks everyone!"

"Oh, right!" said Sora. He, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess rushed over and helped Morgan. They managed to get Bloom onto her back, with Sora and Kairi holding Bloom's left arm still, Riku and Tess holding the right arm, while Aiden and Morgan held Bloom's legs still.

"Just you wait till I get free!" spat Bloom, "I'll burn this whole school to ashes!"

"You're not burning anything," said Kairi, "now stop struggling before you hurt yourself!"

"I'll hurt you!" spat Bloom.

"You'd think she'd come up with better comebacks," said Musa.

"At least they've got her before she did hurt any of us," said Flora.

"But what do we do to help her? Stella asked.

As if to answer, Lockette flew in with, whom Sora assumed, was Professor Avalon., a tall man with long blue and black hair and wearing a white and gold suit.

"She's in here, professor!" said Lockette, "hurry!"

"I came as fast as I could," said Avalon, "what is going on?" he then saw the commotion on the floor, "and what has happened to Bloom?"

"That shadow virus you told us about," said Musa, "it's gotten worse, a lot worse."

"You're just in time, Pofessor Avalon," said Bloom in a vicious tone, "you'll be the first to taste my wrath, as soon as these ingrate perverts get their filthy hands off of me!" she struggled even harder, "let me go!"

Sora then lost his grip on Bloom's arm and the corrupt fair raised her hand to shoot a fireball at Avalon, but Sora grabbed the arm and forced it back down before she could complete her spell.

"You have to hold her tighter," said Morgan, "break her arms if you have to! We can always heal them later!"

"Don't hurt her!" said Aisha, "she's sick, that's all."

"And I have fond the cure," said Avalon as he held up an indigo-colored crystal wand, "this will alleviate the poor girl of her suffering," he then aimed the wand at Bloom and chanted a three-word spell that Sora couldn't understand.

A bolt of magic shot from the wand and hit Bloom without affecting Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess or Morgan. But apparently Bloom was unaffected either.

"Nice try, Prof," said Bloom as she smiled viciously, "but not good enough!" She then renewed her struggling, but Sora and the others weren't letting go.

Bloom then leaned her head towards Sora and bit him on the arm hard enough to draw blood. He shouted in pain and nearly let go of Bloom, but then Musa rushed over and grabbed Bloom's head and pulled her away and held Bloom's head still.

"She bit me!" exclaimed Sora in a shocked tone, "I helped saved her life last year, and she bit me!"

"Break her teeth!" said Morgan.

"That won't be necessary," said Aisha. She then cast a spell that blocked Blooms' mouth with a gag of Morphix, leaving her nose free for breathing.

"I don't understand," said Avalon as he looked at the crystal wand, "I'm sure I used the right spell for countering a shadow virus. Why didn't it work?"

"It's because it's not a shadow virus," said Carmen as she limped into the archives on another witch's shoulder, her free hand carrying a book bound with black leather.

The other witch had shoulder-length spiky black hair with blue highlights and dark brown, almost black eyes that sometimes had an intense glare in them. She wore blue-jeans and gray sneakers, a white shirt that had the sleeves pushed up to her elbows. Her fingernails were painted blue and green alternately. Her left arm was in a cast and a sling. This was Elise Caplin.

"What we have here," said Elise, "is nothing less than a genuine case of demonic possession."

"Demonic possession?" Sora asked, "you mean there's a demon controlling her like a puppet?"

"How can a demon fit inside Bloom?" Aiden asked, "we've fought some pretty big ones."

"You're thinking of corporeal demons," said Elise, "demons that have physical form and can be killed. The ones that possess people have no physical form and _can't _be killed without a highly complex ritual. On the other hand they can be banished back to the hellish dimension from whence they came."

"Which is what we're going to do now," said Carmen as she held up the black-bound book, "perform an exorcism."

"You know how to perform an exorcism?" Aisha asked.

"I witnessed over a dozen back home," said Carmen, "and partook in three, but those were on ordinary people, not someone as powerful as Bloom."

"I've only researched the rituals," said Elise, "but we're confident that we can expunge the foul creature without harming our friend here." She then pulled out an orange crystal, held it to her right eye and chanted a short spell. The crystal then flashed and glowed bright orange.

"What's that do?" Tess asked.

"This gives me for a short time," said Elise, "the vision of a Shinigami, a god of death. They have the power to see the true names of all living creatures; human, animal, plant and demonic. This is important because knowing the true name of a demon gives you power over it. With its name, we can exorcise it without it hurting Bloom, or worse, killing her before the exorcism is complete," she took the crystal away from her eye and glared at Bloom, "isn't that right, Ozezil? Yes, that is your name, creature! I name thee Ozezil!"

At that Bloom, or rather, the thing controlling her, began thrashing about more franticly in order to escape, but Sora and the others weren't letting go.

"When we tell you, Aisha," said Carmen, "free Bloom's mouth. You'll know why afterwards."

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Kairi asked.

"Um…roughly 98% sure," said Carmen, "but it's the best chance we've got."

"Unless you have a better plan," said Elise.

"Well, I've got nothing," said Stella.

"I'm not surprised," said Elise. She then looked at Aisha, "be ready to remove the gag when we've completed the ritual."

"Right," said Aisha.

"You guys," said Carmen to Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Morgan and Musa, "hold her tight and don't let go. The demon, Ozezil, will use all of his power over Bloom to get away from us, so no matter what, don't let Bloom go until I say so, okay?"

"Okay," said Sora, while the others holding Bloom nodded in agreement.

"Just help her," said Flora, while Tecna and Stella nodded.

"Then there's only one more thing to do," said Elise. She then looked at Carmen, "I'm ready when you are."

Carmen nodded, then closed her eyes in concentration, while Elise said the same.

"Contact," said Carmen,

"Check," said Elise.

"What are they doing?" Sora asked as he suddenly felt a surge of energy form between Carmen and Elise.

"They're creating a Link," said Morgan, "it's something we witches can do to enhance our powers, sort of what fairies do with convergence."

"I thought Headmistress Griffin said that witches worked alone and would betray each other at the first chance," said Musa.

"True," said Morgan, "but if the witches in question are true friends, such as myself, Elise and Carmen, then we can unite our powers in harmony."

Just then Carmen and Elise opened their eyes.

"Now they're in perfect synchronicity," said Morgan, "this is when things get interesting."

"As if they were boring before," said Musa.

It was then that Carmen and Elise began chanting in unison, the two of them speaking as one…

"_Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus_

_omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursioinfernalis adversarii, omnis legio,omnis congregatio et secta diabolica._

"_Ergo draco maledicteet omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te,_

_cessa decipere humanas creaturas,eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare."_

Upon hearing the words, Bloom began thrashing about harder than before, her face twisted with rage and fear. Yet Sora and the others weren't about to release her.

"I think it's working," said Aisha.

"They've only just started," said Tecna.

"_Vade, Satana, inventor et magisteromnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis._

"_Humiliare sub potenti manu dei,contremisce et effuge, invocato anobis sancto et terribili nomine,quem inferi tremunt._

"_Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine."_

Just then Bloom's whole body became red hot as Bloom charged up her Dragonfire aura. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Musa and Morgan cried out in pain as their hands were burned from the sudden flare of Dragonfire, but they weren't letting go.

"_Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritusomnis satanica potestas, omnis incursioinfernalis adversarii,omnis legio,omnis congregatio et secta diabolica._

"_Ergo draco maledicteet omnis legio diabolicaadjuramus te."_

"Is it over yet?" shouted Sora as his hands began to blister.

"Don't let go!" shouted Morgan, "it'll be over when it's over!"

"_Cessa decipere humanas creaturas,eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare._

_Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servirete rogamus, audi nos!"_

All of a sudden the heat stopped radiating from Bloom's body and she held completely still.

"Is it over?" Aiden asked cautiously.

But then Bloom's whole body began vibrating rapidly.

"It's done!" shouted Carmen, " Aisha, uncork her!"

"Right!" said Aisha as she removed the Morphix gag on Bloom's mouth. An instant later an enormous cloud of black smoke erupted out of Bloom's mouth that went on for over ten seconds. When the black smoke was all out of her, it hovered in the air for a second, then spiraled into a small red portal and vanished, leaving the stench of sulfur in the air.

"Now it's over," said Elise, while Carmen confidently closed her book, "the demon has been exorcised and forced back to the pit from whence it came."

Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Morgan and Musa stepped away from Bloom. As Kairi used her healing powers on everyone's burned hands, Sora and everyone watched in amazement as Bloom's appearance reverted to her normal attire of blue and yellow midriff shirt, blue jeans and yellow wedge sandals.

"You alright, Bloom?" Kairi asked.

"Well," said Bloom as she sat up, "considering that I just vomited up a demon that forced me to act like a complete jerk, made me attack and try to hurt you all, damage school property and just now handed the third piece of The Codex to Darkar, I'm pretty mad."

"But how did the demon get into her?" Stella asked.

"I believe I'm to blame," said Avalon, "during a private session with Bloom earlier, I instructed her in a form of internal journey, in which Bloom attempted to get more in touch with the source of her powers. During this time, Bloom's spiritual defenses were weakened, and Darkar sent a demon he must have summoned to possess her and use her to obtain the third Codex piece."

"But what if the demon comes back?" Bloom asked in a worried tone, "what if it tries to possess me again?"

"That particular demon is back in hell where it belongs," said Elise, "it can't return to the living realms for a hundred years or so."

"And I'll make sure that you're spiritual defenses are never weakened again," said Avalon, "I just wish I had the foresight to have prevented this fiasco from happening in the first place."

"Don't blame yourself," said Condorda as she landed on Avalon's shoulder, "you did all that you could under the circumstances."

"If anyone's to blame," said Bloom in a depressed tone, "it's me. I remember everything that horrible thing made say and do. I should have fought harder against that demon, I'm sorry everyone."

At that Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna and Aisha all started talking at once, telling Bloom that it wasn't her fault and that she had nothing to apologize for.

"If anyone's to blame," said Kairi, "it's that bastard, Darkar."

"Darkar," said Bloom, "he has the third piece of the Codex now, and I gave it to him. I have to get it back, no matter what it takes!" she tried to stand up, but then she nearly passed out and fell into Musa's arms.

"She's exhausted," said Stella.

"That's understandable," said Carmen, "an exorcism can be very trying, for all parties," she then nearly fell over, but Morgan caught her, then caught Elise whom was also on the verge of passing out.

"We will get it back, Bloom," said Stella, "all of us, together."

"I know," said Bloom. She then looked at Lockette, "and you, my dear little friend, you were incredibly brave back there. You helped me find my way back. I'm so proud of you."

At that Lockette giggled with joy and flew into Bloom's arms.

"Well this is one crisis we averted," said Aiden.

"But it's not over," said Sora, "we've only just started."

"Yeah," said Riku as he eyed Avalon suspiciously.

"Excuse me, everyone," said Condorda, "now that the secret archives are no longer a secret, there is absolutely no reason why we can't all help clean up this mess."

Sora then realized that the room was a mess, with books strewn all over the floor and burn marks marring the bookcases. Upon seeing the mess, Bloom and her fellow Winx groaned in annoyance.

"Oh gee," said Morgan as she looked at her watch, "is that the time?"

"My, it has been a long day," said Carmen.

"I think I left a potion on the fire," said Elise, "later, all!" with that the three awesomely bad witches teleported out, with Elise helping Carmen teleport.

"Typical," said an annoyed Musa.

"Don't worry," said Kairi, "we'll help patch things up here."

"We will?" Aiden and Tess both asked.

"Yes, we will," said Kairi in a stern tone.

"Well, of course we will," said Sora.

Tess suddenly tensed from something she sensed, "we're being watched," she said, "by something very powerful and very dark."

"Darkar," said Bloom, "it has to be him."

"But how can you tell that we're being watched?" Tecna asked Tess.

"Ever had the feeling that you're being watched?" Tess asked, "I'm getting it right now. I agree with Bloom, it's Darkar, he's watching us."

"Good," said Sora, "if he's watching us, then he knows that we're here and we mean business."

* * *

Deep beneath the surface of Magix lay a vast gray cavern full of enormous rust-colored stalactites that hung like inverted towers of a sinister castle with waterfalls flowing from the sides. Within the tallest of these inverted towers was a long room on which a creature most foul sat on a throne carved from stone. The creature was humanoid, his skeletal body glowing red and completely covered with armor. He also had torn, red glowing fabric on the back of him that served as a cloak but was actually part of his physical body. This was Darkar, lord of Shadowhaunt.

Near Darkar stood the three witches who had been such a pain in the overall body to Bloom and her friends. Icy had long white hair pulled back into a ponytail and pale blue eyes enhanced with dark blue eyeshadow. She wore a dull navy blue one-piece suit and a royal blue cape, with boots that were a darker shade of blue. Down the front of the suit was a white stripe that formed a thin belt with the letter "I" over the stomach. She also had blue fingerless gloves. Around her neck was a crystalline necklace that had a light blue glow.

Darcy had long brown hair that reaches down her ankles, and bangs that reach to her waist that are a lighter shade of brown and yellow eyes enhanced with purple eyeshadow. She wore an indigo bodysuit with no sleeves, and capri-style pants. She also wore a light purple glove on her right hand, ankle boots that were the same color as her witch outfit, and a choker that forms a "D" at her belt. On her left hand was a a swirling crystal arm piece with a diamond on the end that glowed light purple.

Stormy had dark blue frizzy hair shaped like a cloud with whitish purple curls that went past her shoulders. Her emerald eyes were enhanced by maroon eye shadow. She wore a maroon dress with the letter "S" embossed at the middle of her outfit with a matching maroon fingerless glove on her left hand that went to her elbow and high-heeled boots. On her right hand was a swirling crystal piece with a diamond on the end that glowed red.

"So," said Darkar as he viewed Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess through a projection that came from his tattered organic cloak, "those are the Keyblade Wielders," he leaned back in his dark throne with his chin placed on one hand, "I am not impressed."

"Believe us, Lord Darkar," said Icy, "those brats aren't to be taken lightly."

"We would have had all of Magix under our thumbs last year," said Stormy, "if those meddling brats hadn't shown up. We would still have had The Dragonfire and all those pathetic loser fairies, specialists and traitor witches would either be our slaves or dead," she smiled viciously, "yes, Musa will make an exceptionally good slave, after I take away her precious voice."

"You can dream of revenge later, Stormy," said Darcy, "but right now we've got to deal with Sora and his meddling friends. Last time around there were only three and they were a pain in the ass."

"Now there's five," said Icy as she glared at the projection, focusing on Aiden and Tess, "those two, what are they all about?"

"That boy is an alchemist," said Darcy, "but the girl, there's something…weird about her."

"What kind of weird?" Stormy asked.

"I don't know," said Darcy, "it's probably nothing. I'm more concerned as to how Carmen and Elise were able to perform that exorcism so effectively, and how did Elise get her grimy hands on that crystal that allowed her to learn the demon's name?"

"I'll bet she stole it," said Stormy, "and Morgan was no help to us either."

"They'll pay," said Icy as she took off her left glove and looked the back of her hand, glaring at a nearly healed burn, "they'll all pay when the time comes, especially Carmen."

"That exploding rune she threw at us was one close call I'll never forget," said Darcy as she touched a recently healed burn on her right arm, while Stormy touched a healed burn on her let arm, "oh yeah, she and the others will pay

"And their time will come, my dear witches," said Darkar, "once I have all four pieces of The Codex in my possession, the realm of Realix shall be open to us, and together, we shall claim the ultimate power."

Just then the bat creature flew into the room and deposited the oval crystal in Darkar's hand.

"Ah, faithful Kerbog," said Darkar to the bat creature, "well done, my pet." He stood up and held up the oval crystal, "The third Codex piece is mine! All that remains is to locate Pixy Village and claim the fourth piece."

"Easier said than done," said Darcy, "everything we've tried to find Pixy Village has ended badly. What makes you think that what you try next will work?"

"Because, my dear Darcy," said Darkar as he held the newly acquired oval crystal, while two identical crystals hovered nearby, "I am a patient man. I've waited a very long time to obtain The Codex and the power it unlocks, and I can wait as long as it takes to. And I do have ideas for how to obtain the final piece. Yes, I have ideas."

* * *

…Castle Oblivion…

Unknown to anyone in The Realm of Magix, Xehanort sat in an ornately decorated office at the highest tower in the castle, observing the events at Alfea and in Shadohaunt via an Interocitor, a device with a triangular view screen that could be configured to do just about anything. Right now Xehanort had the machine programmed as a multi-dimensional telecommunications unit set on 'observe' mode, meaning he could see and hear what was going on just about anywhere in time and space.

Xehanort picked up a remote and pressed a button. On the Interocitor, a multi-colored 'Intensifier Disk' turned 18 degrees counterclockwise. The image screen hummed as rippled appeared on the screen, emanating from the three corners of the triangle. The image soon cleared and was now focused on the three Codex pieces.

"So it's finally happened," said Xehanort, "sooner than I expected." He then pressed another button on the remote and the Intensifier Disk rotated another 18 degrees. The image of Shadowhaunt vanished and was replaced by an image of Sephiroth, who was practicing in one of the many rooms of the thirteen-leveled castle.

"Sephiroth," said Xehanort, "I wish to speak with you in person."

The one winged angel stopped his sword practice, sheathed Masamume, his elongated _nodachi _sword and vanished, appearing in the office in a blink of an eye.

"What is it?" Sephiroth asked.

Xehanort pressed another button on the remote and the Interocitor again showed the image of Darkar with the three Codex pieces, "the key to the Realm of Realix is nearly reassembled," said the dark master, "just one more to piece go, but I refuse to allow it to happen!"

"Why bother?" Sephiroth asked nonchalantly, "Darkar may see himself as a dark overlord, but he is a fool. Even if he obtains the final Codex piece, he still won't be able to use it, not alone that is."

"He will need someone to help him," said Xehanort, "and by that, he will force someone to help him open the door to Realix and obtain the great and terrible power that lies sealed in that realm beyond the realms. But that fool shall not have that power!

"I would have sought it out myself when I was younger, but I was otherwise detained, for reasons I shall not divulge. Least to say, even if I had the chance to seek out the pieces, I would never have found them before being stopped by their defenders. I was but one person."

"Whereas now, Darkar has the wickedly fascinating Trix," said Sephiroth. He took the remote from Xehanort and pressed a button. The image then focused on Icy, Darcy and Stormy, "the last living descendents of the coven who destroyed Domino."

"Those three brats also see themselves as overlords," said Xehanort, "or overladies in this case. But their hubris and overall insanity lead to their downfall last year."

"What of them?" Sephiroth asked.

"I have a task for you, Sephiroth," said Xehanort, "I wish for you to go to The Realm of Magix and observe events up close as they unfold. When the time is right, you shall insinuate yourself into the affairs of The Trix. Get close to them and use them to infiltrate Shadowhaunt. There you shall act as my personal agent and introduce me to Lord Darkar. Once I have arrived there and gotten into his good graces, then things shall truly become interesting."

"If that is what you wish of me, then it shall be done," said Sephiroth. He then summoned a travel gate, "but I shall do it because it pleases me to do so."

"That is your prerogative," said Xehanort as Sephiroth walked through the gate, which vanished after him. He then sat back at his desk, contemplating dark thoughts only known to him.

**The end of chapter 1.**

Next chapter finds our heroes joining The Winx on a well earned trip, while Sephiroth gets a little more than he bargained for. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	2. Chapter 2: Prescribed Holiday

Last time found Sora and his fellow Keyblade Wielders summoned back to Alfea to help with the current crisis in The Magical Dimension. After meeting up with old friends, our heroes were forced to fight Bloom, whom was suffering under demonic possession. One thing lead to another, resulting in our heroes helping exorcising the demon, but it was too late to prevent the main baddie, Lord Darkar, from obtaining a piece of The Codex, a crystalline key that would unlock The Realm of Realix and grant whomever gets there The Ultimate Power. Darkar, whom had enlisted the insidious Trix, prepared his next move after observing Sora and the others.

Meanwhile, Xehanort was also observing events in The Magical Dimension and dispatched Sephiroth to get more involved. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 2: Prescribed Holiday**

The next day, Sora and the gang meet up with The Winx in the corridors leading to Faragonda's office.

"I wonder why Faragonda wants to see us to early?" Bloom asked.

"I'm wondering why she wants to see all of us," said Sora.

"I just hope Griselda isn't there," said Stella, "I swear, she needs to loosen up a bit, you know? Take a day or two off, go to the mall, get a makeover, anything to put a smile on that grouchy face of hers."

"Gee, Stella," teased Musa, "I didn't know you cared so much about Griselda."

"I just don't want her to be in such a bad mood all the time," said Stella, "is that a crime?"

"It is when you have selfish motives," said Tecna, "you just want Griselda to be happy so she wouldn't come down on you so hard."

"Well I can't help it if she decides to get off my back when she's happy!" said Stella.

"You are so selfish," said Aisha.

"And you have no imagination!" snapped Stella.

"Alright, knock it off!" Kairi shouted, "it's too early in the day for you to be fighting."

"You shouldn't be fighting at all," said Riku.

"There's an old saying on my world," said Aiden, "'words can hurt,' so you've got to be careful with what you say."

"Otherwise you might regret what you said and it'll be too late," said Tess.

"So please, at least try to act like friends?" Kairi asked.

"Otherwise you might as well walk away from each other for good," said Sora.

At that the Winx all looked at each other. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess could tell that the six fairies wanted to keep arguing, but they also didn't want to lose their friendship.

Bloom finally spoke, "Alright, Sora, we'll try."

"We'll try to be careful about what we say," said Aisha.

"But no promises as to keeping our mouths shut," said Stella.

"Fair enough for now," said Riki.

With that they all walked into Faragonda's office, "Good morning, Headmistress," said Bloom, "you wanted to see us?"

"Indeed I did," said Faragonda, "and I'm glad you all are here, there is much to be said." The Alfea headmistress waited until Bloom, her friends, Sora and his friends were all comfortable, "well, things have been very difficult here in the realm of Magic recently.

"There's the understatement of the year," said Stella.

"How bad have they been?" Sora asked, "besides having a bunch of insane dark magic users out to rule all?"

"And destroying The Cybermen," said Bloom.

"I'm not sorry I missed it," said Aisha.

"Yeah, you would have hated them," said Stella, "they still creep me out."

"Let's just say that along with that and a lot of other stuff," said Musa to Sora and the others, "our personal lives have been rather crazy since the school year started."

"Assuming you can call our lives normal in the first place," said Bloom.

"Aside from that," said Faragonda, "Lord Darkar already has three pieces of The Codex. Heaven forbid, if he obtains the final piece, he'll be free to raise his already impressive powers to unimaginable levels and he'll be impossible to stop."

"Oh, that'd be so awful," said Flora as she worriedly clasped her hands together.

"Oh, that'd be so awful," said Stella in a mocking tone. She angrily glared at Flora, "then do something about it instead of just standing there, complaining."

At that Flora taken aback and gasped, while Musa glared back at the blond fairy, "You're the one who's all talk, Stella."

"Like you could do anything against The Trix," said Stella.

"I single-handedly fended off Stormy a while back, remember?" Musa asked.

"Big deal," said Stella stubbornly.

"Man, that discord spell has really gotten their friendship twisted in a knot," said Tess, "we just got them to calm down."

"No one ever said it would be easy helping them," said Riku.

"We're perfectly fine," said Tecna, "At least I am. All my systems, both magical and technological are functioning at top efficiency."

"I'll bet that's what you think," said Aisha, "you need to get your head debugged."

"And you need to clear the water from your ears," said Tecna.

"That's enough!" said Faragonda in a stern tone, "as long as you six fairies remain quarrelsome and divided, you are useless in the struggle against Lord Darkar."

"Which means we'll have to pick up the slack for you girls," said Aiden.

"As if you could beat our enemies," said Musa.

"We agree on that," said Tecna. She then muttered, "tone deaf."

"Outdated," muttered Musa.

"This is exactly why I needed to speak withy you all," said Faragonda. She then turned around and walked to her window with her hands clasp behind her back, "in light of the situation, I need to take…drastic action."

* * *

Sephiroth arrived in the woods outside Alfea. He saw two of Alfea's professors, Avalon and the elfin Palladium, whom were in the woods looking for magical plants. From a concealed position, Sephiroth watched as Avalon walked away from the elfin professor was attacked by a venomous plant, which spat poison in his eyes. He fell to the ground and passed out

Yet as he lay unmoving on the forest floor, Avalon smirked, as if he planned being poisoned all along.

"How interesting," said Sephiroth.

* * *

"What kind of drastic action do you have in mind, Ms. Faragonda?" Bloom asked cautiously.

"I'm curious to that myself," said Riku.

"I'm sending you all on a vacation," said Faragonda in a mater of fact tone.

At that Bloom and the Winx were slightly taken aback.

"A vacation?" Stella asked.

"Excuse me," said Tecna, "but it doesn't seem logical to take a vacation at such a critical time."

"On the contrary," said Faragonda, "a vacation is exactly what you six need." she then raised her hand and produced an image behind Bloom and her friends that seemed to be a promotion for a vacation area, "now listen carefully, the Wildlands Resort is three habitats in one; in the mountains you'll find a winter paradise with excellent skiing facilities, while the beach and forest areas, host a wide variety of wild animals and exotic plants." the image indeed showed a skiing resort, followed by a large sandy beach, then a wildlife preserve filled with animals and plants Sora and the gang had never seen before.

Flora was clearly happy by the visual advertisement, especially the part about the exotic plants, "oh, look how beautiful that one is."

* * *

From his concealed position, Sephiroth saw Palladium return to the seemingly blinded and crippled Avalon. Palladium was frantic over what to do, while Avalon feigned helplessness.

"Very interesting," said Sephiroth, "this is definitely worth my time."

* * *

Faragonda then showed The Winx a new image, this one of a large, circular city, "you'll be leaving today for the city of Adquistes, where you can purchase all that you'll need for your sabbatical."

"Yes!" Stella exclaimed happily, "shopping!"

"At least that part of her is still alright," said Kairi.

"Oh for crying out loud," said an annoyed Aisha, "Can't you think of anything else, Stella?"

"As if you weren't all thinking the same thing," said an irked Stella.

"For the love of the gods," said Aiden, "do I have to flick the lights on and off?"

"What good will that do?" Tess asked.

"It's how the teachers back home used to get the class to be quiet when things got too rowdy at school," said Aiden.

"It worked in our school," said Sora.

"But only in grammar school," said Riku

"That's not a bad idea, though," said Faragonda, "but in the meantime," she looked at The Winx, "just calm down, girls. This vacation will help you relax and regain your spirit of cooperation. The discord spell will wear off, but only if you can find your harmony again, which you won't be able to if you're all stressed out from sniping at each other."

"But what about all the classes we'll miss?" Flora asked.

"My thoughts exactly," said Tecna.

"I thought of it first," muttered Flora.

"This is much more important," said Faragonda, "and I'll thank you not to let Griselda know I said that. Also, keep it in mind that in the Wildlands there is a natural magical energy field that disrupts spell casting, meaning that your powers will be restricted."

"No magic?" Bloom asked.

"But what if something goes wrong?" Flora asked, "what will we do if we can't cast spells?"

"You'll have to use your wits," said Faragonda, "and before you ask, Sora, you and your friends will be effected as well. While you'll still retain the power to use your Keyblades, your other abilities will be limited, but to a lesser degree."

"So I won't be able to use all of my spells," said Sora.

"And my healing," said Kairi.

"And my alchemy," said Aiden.

"It shouldn't be a problem," said Riku.

"I wish I had your confidence," said Tess.

"Also," said Faragonda, "just to be on the safe side, I've invited a few Specialists to come along."

At that Stella cheered with joy, while Bloom, Flora, Musa, Tecna and Aisha also smiled happily.

"Now easy does it, girls," said Faragonda, "go easy on those boys, they're not going with you for fun. It'll be the responsibility of Sky and the others to help keep you safe," she looked at Sora and the others, "And they'll be expecting full cooperation on your behalf. That'll be all."

At that Stella groaned in frustration, "this won't be such a good vacation."

* * *

Elsewhere on the Alfea grounds, Sephiroth observed Professor Palladium use a summoning spell, "Are you seeing this, Xehanort?" the one-winged angel asked.

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"Indeed," said Xehanort as saw the effects of the spell via the Interocitor. The view screen then saw the Pixy Livi, who was taking a nap with Kiko, Bloom's pet rabbit. A golden strip of parchment appeared by the pixy of messages, who saw read that it was an emergency summons. The tiny messenger used her powers to fold the parchment into a surfboard, jumped on and zoomed away.

"Very interesting," said Xehanort, "there's far more going on that even I anticipated. Continue observing, Sephiroth, I'm curious as to how this can of worms will play out."

"As am I," said Sephiroth.

* * *

**…Alfea…**

"I'm just worried that we'll miss something important in class while we're away," said Flora as The Winx, as well as Sora and the others, walked down the hallway, "that's all."

"Well, I say that schoolwork is a pain," said Stella in a distained tone, "I for one deserve a nice vacation."

"It's always about you, Stella, isn't it?" an annoyed Musa asked.

"Just lay off, Musa," said Stella.

"Just stop it, both of you," said Bloom, "arguing will only make this vacation miserable."

"My thoughts exactly," said Kairi, "that discord spell really did a number on you."

"You girls were such good friends," said Sora, "I just can't believe that a little dark magic would turn you against each other."

"Well, if someone had been paying better attention to what the Cloud Tower teachers were doing," said an annoyed Tecna as she glared at Bloom, "she could have countered the spell."

"So it's my fault we're like this?" Bloom asked, "well excuse me for being worried about the safety of the Codex piece. And you, Tecna, you could have countered the spell as well! We all could have!"

"Well _excuse me_, princess!" snapped Tecna.

"I said it before and I'll say it again," remarked Aiden, "good gods."

* * *

Keeping out of sight, Sephiroth watched as Livi reached the clearing where the seemingly unconscious Avalon lay in the arms of Palladium. The one winged angel saw as Avalon told Livi that Palladium had been poisoned and to go to the school to tell Professor Wizgiz to prepare an antidote.

But then the pixy of messages said that there was another way, that Pixy Village had a universal antidote. She then hopped on her parchment surfboard and flew off.

* * *

**…Shadowhaunt…**

"All according to plan," said Darkar as he observed Livi surfing through the forest, "it's almost too perfect," the dark overlord then stood up, "Icy! Get in here at once! I have a special assignment for you."

The frosty witch then phased into the throne room through the floor, "you bellowed, oh great and bony one?" she asked with just a hint of sarcasm as she bowed.

"They way to Pixy Village is finally open," said Darkar as he indicated the image of the air-surfing Livi, "take a squad of my Shadow Monsters, follow that little pest, find the final Codex piece and bring it to me!"

"Very well," said Icy in a bored tone, "I'm on it," she then phased back through the floor, muttering to herself, "not like I've got anything better to do than to play hide and seek with a pixy."

Fortunately for the frosty witch, Darkar was too busy laughing manically to hear her. "I'm such a genius I amaze even myself sometimes," he said as he continued to watch Livi surf through he forest, dodging trees left and right.

The image then showed Icy and half a dozen canine Shadow Monsters teleporting into the woods, then all of them chasing after Livi, "do not let that pixy out of your sight, Icy!" Darkar ordered.

"You got it, boss," said Icy, hearing the command via magic. She then shouted at the Shadow Minions, "move it, you stupid mutt monsters! Or no dinner for you tonight!" she then quietly laughed to herself as she pursued Livi, while in turn, Icy was followed by Sephiroth.

* * *

**…Alfea…**

With their bags packed and accompanied by their bonded Pixies, The Winx stood waiting in the school courtyard. Not too far from them was Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess.

"I can't believe how long it took to get them to pack," sighed Kairi, "they kept shouting at each other every two or three minutes."

"They've calmed down now," said Sora.

"But for how long?" Aiden asked.

"This is going to be one rough vacation," said Riku.

"Even worse, we don't have anything to wear for the trip," said Tess, "and you do know what that means?"

"It means dipping into the Munny fund," said Kairi as she pulled out her Munny pouch, one shaped like a Blitz Ball, which looked to be just shy of two thirds full.

"And since we haven't been fighting any Heartless recently," said Riku as he pulled out his Munny pouch, one that had the image of his Keyblade knitted onto it and looked to be just over half full, "we may not be able to replenish our coffers any time soon."

"I hate it when you get thin," said Tess as she looked at her less than full frog-shaped Munny pouch.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Aiden asked, "I can make as much gold as we need."

At that Stella looked like she just heard something very good, "did my ears deceive me?" She asked with an eager smile as she looked at Aiden, "did you say that you can make gold?"

"Well, yeah," said Aiden in a slightly uncomfortable tone, "I am an alchemist after all."

"Have I told you that gold is my favorite color?" Stella asked as she walked over to Aiden.

"Oh just leave him alone, Stella," said Flora, "you're making him nervous."

"I'm not nervous," said Aiden stubbornly.

"I was just making polite conversation, Musa," said an annoyed Stella, "so stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong!"

"I was just making a comment!" said Musa, "and leave my nose out of it!"

"Both of you stop fighting!" said Tune, "it's highly uncouth and unbecoming!"

"And just downright rude," said Amore.

"Why don't you just back off!" said Musa.

"Don't you snap at my friend like that!" said Stella.

"I'll snap at anyone I feel like!" shouted Musa.

At that Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess sighed, "how long did that truce last?" Sora asked.

"Exactly four and a half minutes," said Riku as he looked at his watch, "a new record actually."

At that Tess pulled out her razor and brandished it at Musa and Stella, "shut up, both of you!" she shouted as she held her razor up, the blade glinting in the sun, "or I'll shave you both bald!"

"She'll do it," said Riku, "her father was a barber."

At that Stella and Musa hushed up, not wanting to risk losing their hair.

"We should at least try to keep positive about this," said Flora, "I mean, we are going on vacation."

"This is going to be great," giggled Chatta, "I hope everyone brought their swimsuits." She then looked at the Keyblade Wielders, "or you can buy one when we get there. Oh, and long underwear for the ski slopes."

Just then everyone heard a loud engine roaring above them. A Red Fountain ship flew over Alfea and landed in the courtyard. From it emerged the four in-training heroes that made up The Specialists.

First was Sky, crowned prince of Eraklyon and beau of Bloom. He was fair skinned with blond hair and blue eyes, a well muscled body, wearing a blue and green t-shirt, blue jeans and blue shoes.

Brandon was Sky's official squire and bodyguard, as well as the loving boyfriend of Stella.. At some point in the previous year, it was revealed that the two of them had switched identities, for security reasons, with everyone, including Bloom and The Winx, thinking that Sky was Brandon and vice versa. He had tan skin and a medium, athletic build, with short dark brown hair with bangs angled sharply towards his right eye and wearing a red and blue shirt, pants and jacket, with matching red and blue shoes.

Riven was the lone wolf of the group, having a serious, no nonsense and somewhat anti-social attitude. He and Musa had an on and off relationship that was seriously traumatized when Darcy placed a controlling spell on him. When last seen by Sora and the others, Riven and Musa seemed to be trying to patch things up. He had short spiked magenta colored hair and violet eyes and well muscled. He wore a t-shirt that oddly resembled a Union Jack flag and blue jeans with two black belts crossed over each other and black shoes. On his wrists were grey wristbands.

Last but not least was the brains of the outfit, Timmy. Somewhat socially awkward and not as physically built as the other Specialists, Timmy made up his lack in body with his extraordinary mind and sharp shooting skills. He was a lanky boy, tall and slender with light brown-orange hair and wore glasses in front of his small, hazel eyes and medium skin tone. He wore gray and orange shirt and blue jeans.

"Looks like they're all here," said Sky as he and his fellow Specialists walked over, "Hello, ladies and Keyblade Wielders!"

"Saladin said that you guys were back," said Riven as he stood walked up to Riku, "still got that fancy sword of yours?"

"Still an arrogant ass?" Riku asked. The two of them glared at each other, then laughed it off and shook hands, "how've you really been?"

"Okay, more or less," said Riven, "you?"

"Same," said Riku. At the same time, Sora and Kairi shook hands with Sky, Brandon and Timmy, then introduced Aiden and Tess.

"Well, I can honestly say that I'm impressed," said Aiden as he admired the Red Fountain ship.

"You like it?" Timmy asked, "not only is it fast, it's got room inside for all of us and more room to spare."

"Bigger on the inside?" Tess asked, "our Gummy Ship does that too, and has a really cool A.I. program."

"Oh, we're trying to get A.I. programs in our ships," said Timmy, "but it's probably not going to happen any time soon, budget issues, you know."

"So," said Brandon, "ready for some fun, Winx?"

"You'll be able to spend the whole vacation with Brandon," said Amore to Stella, "think of the chances for romance!"

"Amore, sweetie," said Stella, "I adore my Brandon, but what you're proposing sounds very stressful, and vacations should be fun and relaxing." At that Amore looked very cross at having her ideas of romance shot down.

Just then everyone heard the sound of a car engine rapidly approaching the school.

"That sounds like a car from Earth," said Bloom.

"Don't be preposterous, Bloom," said Tecna, "this is The Realm of Magix. Internal combustion engines were banned centuries ago. It's all now hover cars that run on a combination of magic and hydrogen."

But then the car engine grew louder. Everyone went to the school gates and saw a black and gold car in the shape of a Prius rapidly driving towards them. Before Sora, Bloom and the others knew it, the car skidded to a halt in front of the gates. From the car emerged Carmen from the left passenger seat, Morgan from the driver's seat and Elise from the front passenger seat. Elise was wearing a blue and white shirt with denim shorts and blue shoes, her arm now free of it's cast. Morgan had on a yellow and green halter top with a green knee-length skirt and gold sandals. Carmen was wearing a black t-shirt and shorts with one black shoe, the other still in the walking cast, and a wide-brimmed black hat and her eyes covered by her wraparound sunglasses.

"Just where the hell did you learn how to drive?" a slightly shaken and annoyed Elise asked as the three witches went to the back of the vehicle.

"The bumper cars," said a happily smiling Morgan as she opened the trunk. She and her friends extracted their luggage and closed the trunk. Morgan then pressed a car remote attacked to a keychain and the car shrunk to the size of a candy bar. She then placed the car in her pocket, "best security ever."

"Just what do you three witches think you're doing?" Riven asked as Carmen and her friends crossed the Alfea gates.

"Isn't it obvious?" Carmen asked as she, Morgan and Elise walked towards our heroes, "we're coming with you."

"When we heard that Faragonda was sending The Winx to The Wildlands," said Elise, "it was too good an oppurtunity to pass up."

"How did you know that we were going on holiday?" Tecna asked.

"Word travels fast in The Realm of Magix," said Morgan.

"How can you enjoy the resort when you've still got that big boot on your foot?" Chatta asked.

"This old clunker?" Carmen asked as she looked at the walking cast, "my doctor said I can take it off tomorrow or the day after, as soon as it feels better."

"Well, you're going to have to feel better elsewhere," said Sky, "you're not coming."

"Why not?" Carmen asked as she limped up to Sky, "we've cleared our schedules with Headmistress Griffin and can always make up the schoolwork we miss later."

"And we can help The Winx get their grove back," said Morgan, "we all worked together at Cloud Tower, so we might as well help them now."

"We're all friends here," said Elise, "so name one good reason why Morgan, Carmen and I can't come?"

At that our heroes and allies tried to think of a reason, but couldn't, "Alright," said Bloom, "you can come."

"But you're going to have to pay for your own stuff when we get to Adquistes," said Stella.

"Fair enough," said Carmen.

The Winx and the witches then loaded their luggage onto the ship and everyone got aboard, with Aisha hanging back with Piff, "I wonder, if I just stand here, will they even know that I didn't go with them?"

"Probably," said Riku, "but are you willing to take that chance?"

At that Aisha sighed, "might as well go," she said as she walked into the ship.

"What's up with her?" Tess asked.

"Friendship issues," said Musa.

"Oh," said Tess, but she suspected that Aisha's problems ran much deeper than that.

Sora then saw that Timmy, who was sitting at one of the seats in the cockpit, wanted to say something to Tecna, but his on insecurities had gotten he better of the brainy Specialist. Tecna saw Timmy's unintentional rebuff and was offended, walking over to a seat with her nose in the air. At the same time Musa, who had been trying to have a conversation with Riven, was also offended by something the moody Specialist had said and had joined Tecna.

"Boys," they both sighed.

"I call shotgun!" said Morgan as she eagerly hopped into the copilot seat.

"And have us crash in ten seconds?" Elise asked, "I think not."

"Just where did you learn how to drive?" Tess asked.

"And who in their right mind would give you a driver's license?" Aiden asked.

"What's a drivers license?" Morgan asked.

At that Aiden and Tess looked like they wanted to say something but couldn't find the words, they were so dumbfounded by Morgan's words.

Morgan then laughed happily, "sorry, I'm just pulling your chains."

"She does that to everyone," said Carmen as she pocketed her sunglasses, "you'll get used to it."

"Lucky us," said Tess.

Brandon then sat in the pilot seat and Sky took the copilot seat, "next stop, The Wildlands!" With that everyone got into their seats and the ship took off.

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

Xehanort pressed another button and view screen on the Interocitor now split in half. One image showed Sephiroth continuing to pursue Icy, who was still hot on Livi's trail. The other showed Palladium carrying the seemingly unconscious Avalon on his shoulders back to Alfea.

"If I had known things would become this dramatic," said the dark master, "I would have brought popcorn."

Just then Dio Brando appeared in the office, "you know," said the mad martial artist, "there's a help group for those with voyeurism, just like they've got help groups for everything these days."

"And you need to work on your manners," said Xehanort, "but never mind that. How does our new mad scientist like his quarters?"

"They remind me of my apartment during my intern days," said Doctor Insano as he walked into the room, "small, cramped and overall impractical to my needs. I'd be better off with two broom closets and a shoe box."

"You should be grateful for what you've been given," said Xehanort, "besides, you have a full-sized laboratory with every piece of equipment that you asked for, do you not?"

"I'll admit," said Insano reluctantly, "the laboratory is an impressive one, albeit still lacking some pieces that I will need, but that is still no excuse for giving me such small quarters. I demand a larger suite, preferably one larger than the one who thinks himself a vampire."

"I happen to have a vampiric curse on me," said Dio Brando, "one I willingly gave myself. True, this body can no longer tolerate sunlight and I must occasionally partake the blood of the innocent, but that's the price for power. And my room isn't that big. Just why do you need such a big room anyway?"

"I have my reasons," said Insano. He then saw the viewing device, "ah, and Interocitor, how quaint."

"This happens to be the latest model," said Xehanort, "one which I've added a few modifications. Not only does it allow us real time communications across reality, but we can also observe just about any event without detection," he indicated the unfolding drama, "all we have to do is sit back and enjoy the show."

"Oh, I just love a good drama," said an eager Insano, "who's got the popcorn? Never mind, I'll go get some! With extra butter and cheese!" he then laughed manically and left the room.

"That man has a very annoying laugh," said Dio Brando.

"But he has the abilities that I need," said Xehanort, "once he's served his purpose, I'll discard him like an empty soda can."

"My thoughts exactly," said Dio Brando, "oh, our new financial expert should he here within the next few days, assuming he can 'tie up his affairs,' that's what he said he was doing when I was last in contact with him."

"He will come," said Xehanort, "but assuming what happens next in The Magical Dimension goes according to my estimations, then he may not be needed."

"Just what are you up to?" Dio Brando asked.

"You'll find out," said Xehanort, "for now just enjoy the show."

* * *

After a brief flight across the planet, Sora and the others looked out the windows of the Red Fountain ship to see a vast nature preserve filled with a whole plethora of fantastic creatures.

"Now this is what I call paradise," said Kairi as she, Bloom and Tess looked out the window, trying to identify what species of magical creatures.

"You call this paradise?" Stella asked in a slightly horrified tone, "there isn't a mall in sight! What am I going to do?"

"You know," said Aisha as she cradled a sleeping Piff in her arms, "you really ought to see someone about your shopping addition, Stella, they've got support groups for that."

"They've got support groups for everything," said Riku, "if you're addicted to it, they've got help for it."

"Shopping's not an addition," said an annoyed Stella, "I can stop any time I want."

"Yeah right," said Aisha, while Piff woke up in her arms and happily babbled something unintelligible.

Just then one of the sensor computers began beeping.

"What's on the radar, Timmy?" Brandon asked.

"There's another ship on the scanners," said Timmy, "it's just ahead of us."

"I thought we would be the only ones here at the Wildlands," said Brandon, "let's see it."

The view screen activated. "that's no ship," said Aiden as he looked at the screen, "that's a freaking dinosaur!"

The anomaly on the radar did turn out to be a creature that looked like a dinosaur, a pterodactyl to be exact. Everyone shouted in shock as Sky maneuvered the ship through a sharp turn to avoid the flying monster.

"That was too close," said Sky as he set the ship on autopilot and got up, "why did the scanners read that thing as another machine?"

"I have no idea," said Timmy, "I knew we should have run a virus scan on the onboard computers before we left."

"It can't be helped," said Brandon. He then looked at everyone else, whom had fallen out of their seats and were scattered across the floor of the cabin, "everyone alright back there?"

"Aside from being tossed about like a baseball," said Kairi as she and the others picked themselves up, "we're just peachy."

"That's still no reason to be rude," said Tune. She then looked at Brandon and Sky, "on behalf of everyone, despite their ill manners, I wish to thank you for saving our lives."

"No problem," said Sky. He then walked up to Bloom, "are you alright, Bloom?" he then reached to help her up, but she shrugged his hand away.

"Of course I'm alright," said Bloom in an annoyed tone, "I can take care of myself, thank you very much!"

"I know, but…" said Sky.

"But what?" Bloom asked as she placed her hands on he hips, "did you expect me to burst into tears or something?"

"No, but…" said Sky. He then sighed, "never mind," and he turned away from Bloom.

"What's wrong with me," Bloom asked herself, "I feel like everything I say or do recently is all wrong."

"It's the discord spell," said Elise, "it's getting worse."

"Before too long," said Morgan, "you'll be sniping at everyone you see."

"I'm going to do it," muttered Carmen, "I'm going to sue for gross incompetence and misconduct. I'll sue the entire Cloud Tower school board if I have to, except for Headmistress Griffin of course."

"Hope your lawyer is good at what he does," said Musa.

"_She _is the best lawyer on the world I grew up on," said Carmen, "and yes, she knows what she's doing." At that Carmen then sighed remorsefully, "assuming she and everyone else back home are still alive."

Before Sora could inquire further, Brandon announced that they had almost reached their destination. Everyone got back into their seats and buckled up as they saw out the window the vast, circular city of Adquiste.

* * *

All of a sudden, Sephiroth saw that Icy had stopped and was hovering over something on the forest floor.

"Oh no," said an annoyed Icy, "this is just pathetic."

Sephiroth risked getting closer and saw that Livi had apparently hit a branch during flight and had knocked herself out.

"This is just plain stupid!" said Icy as she picked the unconscious Livi up, holding the tiny blond surfer as if she were something disgusting, "to think that a witch of my caliber has to stoop to helping a Pixy in order to get what she wants, it's humiliating."

But then the frosty witch smiled wickedly, "well, since she's out cold," she touched her left finger to Livi's foerhead, sending a mild freezing spell into the tiny messenger, "a little freezing spell will wake her up!"

As Livi was shocked back into consciousness by the brief but intense cold, Icy cast an invisibility spell on herself and the Shadow Minions. Livi was momentarily confused, but remembered that she had a job to do. She happily got back onto her paper surfboard and resumed her flight through the woods, while the frosty witch and the monsters continued the chase, with Sephiroth not far behind.

* * *

"Now this is paradise!" said Stella as she and the Winx browsed in a fashionable outdoors clothing store. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess had already gotten what they needed for the trip from a much less pricy shop, relieving their Munny pouches of a lot of weight in the process, and they didn't have much weight to begin with.

"You're right, Tess," said Riku as he held his nearly empty Munny pouch in his hand, "they are more cute when they're fat."

"We really need to talk to a financial advisor," said Kairi, "destroying enemies to collect Munny is alright, but we can't be Keyblade Wielders forever. We should think about the future."

"I'll think about the future later," said Aiden as he sat in a chair.

"In the meantime," said Brandon as he and the other Specialists sat nearby, "we've got a lot of time on our hands."

He was referring to The Winx as they tried to decide what they would wear on their vacation.

"Which one do you think?" Flora asked as she admired two different styles of fur-lined coats, faux fur to be exact, "should I get this one or the other?"

"Just pick whichever you like best," said Chatta, "they both look fantastic on you."

"Oh, alright then," said Flora as she held up a green pinstriped coat, "I like this one, but the other is warmer."

"Flora, you can't make a fashion decision to save your life," said Stella.

"At least she's trying to be practical, Stella," said Aisha as she irately crossed her arms, "not everyone in the Magical Dimension can be an expert shopper like you."

"I know, it's a shame," said Stella in a smug tone.

"How much longer are they going to be?" Riven groaned as he placed his hand on his forehead. "It should be illegal for girls to take this long to buy stuff."

"I feel your pain, man," said Riku, "but girls are girls."

"That's what I was afraid of," said Riven, "good grief, I'm bored."

"You look bored," said Riku.

"I can't believe Bloom snapped at me," said Sky to Brandon, while Bloom examined an outfit in front of a mirror.

"She's just stressed out, it would have happened to anyone," said Brandon, "you know? Even professor Avalon."

"Don't you bring that playboy up!" said Sky as he aimed a punch at Branon's shoulder, "I don't even want to think of that guy!"

"I was just kidding, man," said Brandon as he tried to laugh it off, "chill out."

"Trouble in paradise?" Kairi asked, "after Sora and I worked so hard last year to help you and Bloom, it'd be horrible if you two were breaking up."

"It's not that," sighed Sky, "well, it is. You met Professor Avalon, right? Well, you know how he is, right?"

"You mean how all the girls at Alfea think he's God's gift to them and can't get enough of him?" Kairi asked, "he's not my type."

"Well he's obviously Bloom's," said Sky in an irate tone, "ever since that guy started teaching at Alfea, it's been nothing but 'Professor Avalon this' and 'Professor Avalon that!' All Bloom wants to talk about is how great that guy is and how I should learn an example from him. It's enough to make me want to punch a hole in the wall, and I'd probably have to fix the wall too."

"I'm sure it's nothing," said Kairi, "just a schoolgirl crush. It happens all the time, when a girl feels attracted to an older man in authority. It'll go away soon enough. But I'm also sure that her feelings for you are still there. If you truly love each other then nothing can come between you, nothing."

"How can you be so sure?" Brandon asked.

At that Kairi gave the two Specialists a reassuring smile, "call it women's intuition."

Just then everyone was startled by Musa shouting at Riven, "well if you don't like it, just say so!" she then irately took the hat she had been trying on, a wool, blue and white ski cap with long ear flaps, and tossed it into his face.

"I never said I didn't like it!" said Riven, "I just said that it looked cool and warm."

"Unbelievable!" said an irate Musa as she stomped away from him.

"Now those two definitely need to work out their issues," said Kairi.

"Intuition?" Sky asked.

"As if anyone needed that to see the obvious," said Brandon.

* * *

"This is getting tedious, Xehanort," said Sephiroth as he followed Icy, who was still following Livi, "I'm a patient man, but my patience only goes so far."

"Stay on target, Sephiroth," said Xehanort, "I suspect that your chase is almost at an end."

Sure enough, Sephiroth saw Icy stop when she saw Livi stop. The little blond messenger then happily summoned a portal. She surfed through it, while Icy and the Shadow Minions followed. Sephiroth went through the portal as well.

They had arrived at a very small but sprawling village made of yellow and red buildings, centered around a large yellow and orange flower, where dozens of other pixies, each more different than the last, happily cheered Livi's return. But then Livi was so flustered by her urgent mission she couldn't properly say what she had to say to her fellow pixies, mixing up her words as she tried to tell her friends that she needed an antidote for a poisoned flower.

But then Icy loomed over the tiny creatures, wickedly smiling as she announced her dark intentions, while Sephiroth observed from out of sight.

"Finally," said Sephiroth, "things are interesting again.

* * *

After what seemed an eternity, Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna and Aisha finished purchasing their outfits and supplies for the vacation. Their first stop was the ski resort. Bloom and the Winx, were all wearing green coats with white fur linings and blue wool stockings, while Sky and the specialists had adopted green and yellow thermal bodysuits.

Carmen had a black coat and pants, while Morgan had a blue and white coat and stockings and Elise had the same but in green and orange. Sora wore blue and red, Riku black and white, Kairi blue and yellow, Tess green and white and Aiden wore green and black. Everyone either had a pair of skis or a snowboard, while everyone had yellow snow visors to protect their eyes, except for Carmen who still had her sunglasses on.

"So, we're finally here," said Bloom as they stood looking at an imposing mountain in the background, "anyone know how to get to the top?"

"We take the cable car over there," said Lockett, "it'll take us right to the top."

"You want to ski down that monster?" Tess asked as she pointed at the mountain.

"Forgive me for sounding like a coward," said Elise, "but I'd rather not."

"I don't even know how to ski," said Aiden.

"Oh come on," said an eager Morgan, "where's your sense of adventure?"

"I left it back home," said Elise.

"I've got a perfectly good reason to sit this one out," said Carmen as she tapped her walking cast, "so I'll just sit in the lodge by the fire and get my hot chocolate rush on."

"We'll join you, if you don't mind," said Elise, while Tess and Aiden nodded in agreement.

"You sure you want to skip on this?" Sora asked, "I don't know how to ski either but I'm still going."

"Break a leg," said Elise, "seriously, you're going to break your leg, or an arm," she then held up her newly healed arm, "and I'm not interested in going back to the doctor any time soon."

"Birthday suit yourselves," said a smiling Morgan, "more fun for the rest of us."

A short time later Sora, Riku, Kairi, Morgan, The Winx and The Specialists were at the waiting area for the cable car.

"I don't know about this," said Bloom as the cable car approached, a cable car that looked to have seen better days, "are you sure it's safe? That thing looks kind of old."

"I'm scared of heights," said a very nervous Lockett.

"But you can fly like all pixies," said Tecna, "what's the problem?"

"I just am!" said Lockett as she buried herself in Bloom's arms.

"Alright!" said Brandon as the doors of the cable car opened, "let's get going, everyone! It'll be dark soon and I don't want to miss out on any snowboarding time."

They all got into the car, somehow squeezing inside the confining space. The doors closed and the car lurched forward. As it progressed on the cable up the mountain, Sora and the others felt a mild jolt in the car's motion that seemed to originate from above them.

"What was that?" Riku asked.

* * *

"Are you still watching, Xehanort?" Sephiroth asked as he watched Icy freeze Pixy Village solid, while the canine Shadow Minions menaced the terrified Pixies.

"How can I look away?" Xehanort asked, "what a magnificent display of dark magic."

"Yes, Icy is an impressive witch," said Sephiroth, "insane, but impressive."

Sephiroth then saw Icy being confronted by Ninfia, the Guardian of Pixy Village, who dodged a fury of ice shards, then ensnared Icy with summoned vines. The frosty witch lost her balance and fell on her face, but then untangled herself and resumed her frozen rampage.

* * *

The cable car reached the end of the line far up the mountain and its passengers exited it, "that thing was way too small," said Sora as he breathed the fresh air.

"And not entirely safe," said Riku, "I'm sure I heard something break.

"Well, nothing did happen and we made it up safe," said Brandon. He then looked at his watch, "but it's getting late, it'll be dark soon."

"We still have exactly 43 minutes and 17.4 seconds of daylight left," said Tecna.

"Thank you, miss know it all," said Stella disdainfully.

"We're here to have fun," said Sky as he approached the edge of a ski run, a path of snow leading all the way to the bottom of the mountain, "so let's have as much as we can. Last one down is a bowl of rotten egg salad!"

"That'll be you, Sky," boasted Riven, "after I scramble you!"

"Fat chance!" said Sky jokingly. With that he and Riven jumped on their snowboards and rapidly slid down the mountain.

"Come on, Piff!" said Aisha to the dozing pixy in her coat pocket, "let's show those boys what we can do!" with that she jumped on her snowboard and started after Sky and Riven. They were soon followed by Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, Brandon and Timmy.

"Uh…I'm starting to have second thoughts," said Sora as he, Riku and Kairi looked over the edge.

"Oh, don't be such a wuss, Sora," said Morgan. She then slid down the mountain on her skis, while Riku got on his snowboard and went down as well.

"We can't chicken out now," said Kairi. She then slid down the mountain on her skis.

"Oh man," said Sora nervously. He then started down on his skis rather awkwardly.

* * *

Sephiroth continued to watch the unfolding battle as Ninfia tried to lure Icy away from the village, but Icy retaliated by freezing the other Pixies solid while the canine Shadow Minions started to crush the frozen buildings, while one of them was about to smash one of the helpless frozen pixies.

Ninfia then pleaded for the safety of her people, "if you spare us and the village," she said, "I'll give you the Codex piece." She then used a spell that revealed the oval crystal, which had been hidden inside her tiny staff.

"At last!" said Icy as she triumphantly reached for the crystal, "the final Codex piece is mine!"

"Not way!" shouted Livi as she zoomed over to Icy and knocked the crystal out of her hands. The tiny messenger grabbed the crystal and surfed out of the village, while an irate Icy and the canine Shadow Monsters pursued her.

"Don't let them out of your sight, Sephiroth!" Xehanort ordered.

"You don't have to remind me," said Sephiroth as he continued the chase.

Icy shot several freezing spells at Livi but the tiny air surfer dodged them all. But one spell froze a tree branch ahead of her and Livi wound up crashing it into it, falling off of her paper surfboard. But then she jumped onto the crystal and used it as a surfboard, continuing her flight from the frosty witch.

"Get back here, you little pest!" Icy shouted as Livi flew into a crack in the ground that was too small for the frosty witch to follow.

"You're only making it worse for yourself!" said Icy. She then used her enhanced dark magic to allow herself to pass through the crack, not knowing that Sephiroth had thrown a microscopic tracking device onto her. The device attached itself to the cape of the frosty witch just as she sank into the ground.

"I hope you don't mind that I did that, Xehanort," said Sephiroth, "teleporting is one thing, but altering ones physical structure to pass through extremely narrow openings isn't a pleasant experience, at least it's not for me."

"Regretful," said Xehanort, "but in this case I'll allow it," he then pressed a button and the Interocitor now showed Icy pursuing Livi through a tunnel that lead deeper and deeper underground.

"Ah," said the dark master, "they're heading for Downland, home of the Trogs and their perfectionist princess, Armentia. Let's see how our frosty friend and the little messenger deals with this situation."

* * *

"Can you see them yet?" Tess asked as she, Aiden, Elsie and Carmen looked at the mountain, each with a pair of binoculars to their eyes.

"Not yet," said Elise as she scanned the mountainside, "wait…yes! There's Sky and Riven. Sky's in the lead and…Riven just stopped for some reason."

"He's warning Sky of the tree up ahead," said Aiden. He, Carmen, Elise and Tess then winced as they saw Sky collide with the tree. "Oh, he had to have felt that one!"

"Now Riven is in the lead," said Elise, "Aisha's not too far behind, while the rest of The Winx, Morgan, Timmy and Brandon are catching up, and so is Riku and Kairi."

"And bringing up the rear is Sora," said Carmen, "who skis like a ruptured duck."

"That's not an accurate metaphor," said Elise, "a ruptured duck refers to a military badge given to servicemen who've been discharged but haven't returned to their homes yet. The phrase '...like a ruptured duck,' is usually given to someone moving very fast. Sora is more like…"

"A really awkward skier," said Tess in an embarrassed tone as she and Aiden watched Sora stumble and nearly lose his balance, only to recover and nearly lose his balance again.

"Who's idea was it to let him on a pair of skis?" Aiden asked.

"Not mine," said Tess, "Wait, Sky is back in the race and is now neck and neck with Riven."

"Hang on," said Elise, "Aisha just took a side path. She's now ahead of Riven and Ski. She just reached the bottom! while Riven and Sky are looking like their ego's just got a good dose of deflation."

"The others are reaching the bottom as well," said Carmen, "with Sora finishing dead last," she smirked, "he's a fantastic warrior but not very good at sports."

"Give him a chance," said Aiden, "it's his first at this."

* * *

Xehanort watched as Livi, feeling hopelessly lost but still desperate to get away from the pursuing Icy, surfed through the tunnel and emerging onto the vast underground city of Downland, a sprawling metropolis reminiscing of Aztec design that glowed with green and yellow phosphorus light.

Both hunter and hunted paused as they took in their strange surroundings.

"What in the nine hells is this weird place?" a slightly confused Icy asked.

Just then she and Livi were confronted by a pair of huge, muscle bound warriors armed with spears. The giant men were clad in red leather kilts, wristbands and black helmets. At the forefront of the giant men was a tall, thin woman with pale skin and large amber eyes. She wore a red and gold battle robe with the hood up and gold shoulder pads. In her right hand was a long, four-bladed spear .

"This is Downland," said the woman, "and you, witch, are trespassing."

"Just who do you think you are, telling me that I'm trespassing?" Icy demanded.

"I happen to be the boss of this kingdom," said the woman, "I am Princess Armentia, and I ask the questions around here, you overdressed harlot!"

* * *

"They're getting back onto the cable car," said Carmen, "big mistake, it's nearly sunset."

"If they leave now," said Elise, "they'll have just enough time for one more run down the mountain. But I agree, it is getting late."

"You want to stop them?" Tess asked.

"To late," said Aiden, "they're in the cable car."

"Well," said Carmen, "we might as well go see to the dinner arrangements," she smiled eagerly, "the restaurant is serving an all you can eat, made to order, pizza buffet."

"Oh, that's where you can just about anything you want on your pizza," said Elsie, "and I do mean anything."

"Anything?" Aiden asked, "you mean like sausage, green peppers and mushrooms?"

"I like mine with pepperoni, black olives and extra cheese," said Tess, "with just a dash of garlic powder, not too much though."

"Is that all you can think of for toppings?" Elise, "try dreaming bigger! When I mean anything, I mean anything, just like the pizzeria back at Magix. I happen to like my pizza with peanut butter and clams."

"Excuse me?" Tess asked in a disbelieving tone.

"Did you say peanut butter and clams?" a slightly disgusted Aiden asked.

"Yep," said Elise, "and I also like tuna fish, peanut butter and grape jelly."

"If you're going to put peanut butter on a pizza," said Carmen, "you might as well add avocado and pickles, and a lot of pickles at that."

"Sweet or dill pickles?" Aiden asked cautiously

"Either one woks," said Carmen, "but I prefer sweet over dill."

"You've got to be kidding me," said Tess.

"I am not," said Carmen.

"You know," said Aiden, "if we're going to talk about weird pizza recipes, this one time, I had a pepperoni pizza with marshmallows on it. The marshmallows soaked up the pepperoni grease and the whole thing was surprisingly good."

"Please tell me you're joking," said Tess.

"Speaking of marshmallows," said Carmen, "Morgan likes them on her pizza, only she likes asparagus instead of pepperoni."

"No way!" said Aiden.

"Way," said Carmen, "and sometimes, she has guacamole as well."

"That one was really good," said Elise, "but I hated her idea for butterscotch and onion with anchovies."

"Yeah, that one was gross," said Carmen.

"Please stop," said Tess as she clutched at her stomach, "I'm not feeling too good."

"We're just getting stated," said Carmen as she laughed, "sometimes, when I'm not feeling well, I like a tea and toast pizza."

"How do you do that?" Aiden asked.

"You put toast squares on the pizza and dip it in a cup of tea, said Elise, "now on the other hand, one that will really make you sick is chocolate sprinkles with clam sauce and when I mean clam sauce, I mean the juice they soak in, not the sauce you serve them in."

"Please stop," Tess moaned.

"How about chocolate chip pizza?" Aiden asked, "it's just regular pizza with chocolate chip cookies on it."

"That actually sounds good," said Carmen, "but I sometimes like mine with chocolate fudge and extra garlic."

"Oh, don't bring up chocolate fudge!" said Elise, "I hate that stuff on pizza."

"I like it," said Carmen, "and so does Morgan. She likes hers with chocolate fudge, sardines, chili peppers and whipped cream."

"I'm gonna be sick!" exclaimed Tess as she ran over to a bush to vomit.

"Do you at least take the bones out of the sardines?" Aiden asked.

"If you took the bones out, they wouldn't be crunchy," said Carmen.

"You people are disgusting," said Tess as she stood up, wiping a drop of vomit from her lips.

"You think we're gross now?" Elise asked, "Try anchovies with hot fudge, now that's disgusting."

At that Tess bent over to throw up again.

* * *

"What did you call me!" Icy exclaimed, "I'm no harlot! And I'm certainly not overdressed."

"You are for my perfect kingdom," said Armentia, "now, I demand to know just what you two intruders are doing in my realm!"

"Please, you've got to help me!" pleaded Livi as she zoomed over to Armentia, "she wants to steal this," the tiny messenger referred to the Codex piece, "that horrible witch is a thief!"

"If you know what's good for you," said Icy, "you'll give me that Codex piece and mind your own business."

Armentia took the Codex piece from Livi, "don't worry, little one, I won't let anything happen to it," she then pocketed the crystal and glared at Icy, "I know that you just got here, witch, but I already hate your overdressed guts!"

"How dare you!" exclaimed Icy, "and I'm not freaking overdressed!"

"Watch your words, witch," said Armentia, "I'm the law in this realm."

"You don't know who you're talking to," said a wickedly smiling Icy, "and I spit on your law." But then she suddenly found Armentia's quadruple-bladed spear at her throat, while the Trogg warriors closed in.

* * *

"How about pepperoni and hot fudge?" Carmen asked in a laughing manner, while Elise and Aiden also laughed. By now they were just joking

"I like pepperoni and pickles," laughed Aiden, "and also jellybeans and sausage."

"How about salami and double yogurt," laughed Elise, "and also pizza with shredded coconut and sweet pickles."

"Please stop," moaned a thoroughly miserable Tess.

"Strawberries with anchovies and hot sauce," said Elise, "extra-hot sauce at that."

"I prefer wasabi, and I sometimes put hot oatmeal on my pizza for breakfast," said Aiden, "and sometimes for a snack, I pop some popcorn and put it on the pizza."

"That actually sounds good," said Carmen, "and so does anchovies and bananas."

"Nobody likes anchovies!" moaned Tess.

"Morgan once said she had goulash on her pizza," said Carmen, "and this one time, we all shared a granola and licorice pizza."

"You people are pure evil," said Tess.

Just then they heard a commotion from the ski lodge and the sound of people worryingly talking among themselves.

"What's all the hubbub?" Carmen asked. She hobbled over to the growing crowd, then after a few seconds rapidly limped back to Elise, Aiden and Tess, a frantic look on her face, "the cable car with Bloom, Sora and the others broke down up the mountain, they're stuck!"

"Son of a banshee!" said Elise. She, Carmen, Aiden and a much better looking Tess brought their binoculars to their eyes and quickly found the cable car in their sights. The car had stopped in front of a fray in the cable, a fray that was slowly getting worse.

"At this rate that thing will snap and they'll fall to their deaths!" said Tess.

"Not if we get there first!" said Aiden, "if we can get close enough, I can repair the cable with alchemy."

"Will your powers work here?" Tess asked.

"I'll have to risk it!" said Aiden, "come on!" with that he, Elise and Tess hurried through the snow towards the stranded cable car.

"Wait!" shouted Carmen as she struggled through the snow after, "I can't run with this cast on my leg!" She then tripped and landed face first in a snow drift. "Oh, troll turds!" she exclaimed.

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"I have a fix on Icy's location," said Xehanort, "you can teleport down to Downland anytime you wish, Sephiroth." The view screen showed not only Icy being surrounded by the Trogg warriors, but also Professor Pladium franticly trying to synthesize the antidote for Avalon in the Alfea potion's lab, while Avalon continued to feign unconsciousness.

* * *

**…Downland…**

"Get that thing out of my face!" exclaimed Icy as she kicked Armentia's spear away from her and took flight, freezing the pair of Trogg warriors solid with a well placed double spell.

"You just can't get good help these days," said Armentia.

"You might as well surrender that crystal," said Icy, "you can't beat me!"

"Armentia never surrenders!" hissed the princess of Downland, only to dodge a freezing spell from the frosty witch.

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"Again, I regret not bring any snacks," said Xehanort as he watched the fight between Icy and Armentia, while also glancing at the view of the Alfea potions lab. The sun had just set and Professor Pladium was looking very worried that Livi hadn't returned yet. With time run out, Pladium forced his antidote down Avalon's throat.

* * *

**…Downland…**

The fight between Icy and Armentia raged through the streets of the underground city. The people of the subterranean metropolis franticly got out of the way as the frosty witch tried to blast Armentia with freezing spells. The perfection-obsessed princess dodged the spells and stabbed back at Icy, but the witch kept flying out of the way.

"Get down here so I can impale you!" snapped Armentia.

"Come up here so I can turn you into a snow princess!" snapped Icy.

"You want me to come up?" Armentia asked, "alright!" she then jumped with enough force that Icy soon lost sight of her.

"What the…?" Icy asked as she landed on the ground, "where did she go?"

Armentia then landed behind Icy and held her spear shaft in front of Icy's throat, threatening to crush the windpipe of the frosty witch, "I've got you now!"

Icy then froze the spear and it snapped in half, "who's got who now?" she laughed.

"That was my favorite spear, you overdressed witch!" snapped Armentia.

"Stop calling me overdressed!" spat Icy as she took flight again, then shot freezing spells at Armentia. She dodged them and jumped onto an outcropping of rock.

"Alright," said a highly irked Armentia, "time to break the ice!" she then threw several shuriken at Icy, who froze them before they hit her.

"I'm of the opinion that the ice is going to break you, my tacky new enemy," Icy said with a wicked smile.

"You hussy," growled Armentia as she pulled a sword from a hidden scabbard beneath her cloak, "now I'm really getting peeved!" she then launched herself at Icy, who dodged a sword thrust.

"Oh, just give me the Codex piece so I can be on my way," said Icy.

"No way, witch," said Armentia as she raised her sword, "it's personal now. You're not leaving here alive!"

"And they say my sisters and I are mad," said Icy in a nonchalant tone, "just listen, you tacky princess, you can't win this."

Just then dozens of Trogg warriors stampeded through the streets towards the fight.

"Now what?" Icy asked.

"It's my army, you overdressed witch," said a smirking Armentia as the Trogg warriors closed in on Icy, "you're finished! Now give up and I'll spare your life!"

"Don't count your chickens," said Darcy as she and Stormy teleported in.

"Before they're smashed," said Stormy.

At this Armentia looked like she was about to blow her top, "I don't care if there's three or three hundred of you witches! You're still going down! Soldiers! Attack!" with that the Trogg warriors rushed at The Trix.

"You've really gotten into a fine mess, dear sister," said Stormy to Icy in a teasing manner.

"Oh no," said Darcy in a mocking tone, "we're doomed! What ever shall we do?" she then smiled wickedly, "oh wait, I know!" she then cast a spell that blinded Armentia and her Trogg warriors.

The three dark witches then combined their powers to blast Armentia and her warriors with a cursed wind, sapping their strength and knocking them down to the ground.

"And that's that," said Icy as she triumphantly walked over and took the Codex piece from Armentia's pocket. She then glared at her two sisters, "and what took you two so long? Do you have any idea what I've just been through to get this?"

"Oh, spare me your whining, Icy," said Darcy, "we've got the Codex piece."

"You mean I got it!" said Icy.

"You wouldn't have gotten it without us," said Stormy.

"I was doing just fine without you," said Icy.

"You were about to be sliced to pieces before we got here," said Darcy.

It was then that Sephiroth made his entrance, emerging from the shadows and walking right up to The Trix, "if I could state my opinion, I believe that Icy was in trouble and the two of you did secure the Codex piece."

"Who the hell are you?" Icy asked in an annoyed tone.

"And are you single?" Stormy asked eagerly, while Darcy also looked at the one-winged angel with eager eyes.

"I am Sephiroth," said the one-winged angel, "and I seek an audience with Lord Darkar of Shadowhaunt. I followed you, Icy of The Trix, in hopes that you would introduce me to your master."

"First of all, Darkar isn't our master," said Icy, "we have a mutual understanding, and second, if you want to come to Shadowhaunt with us, it's fine by me."

"But don't expect Darkar to welcome you," said Darcy, "he's a strange one, powerful, but strange."

"I only wish to say what I need to say to him," said Sephiroth, "if he does not want to talk, I'll be on my way."

"In that case," said Icy, "we'll introduce you to Darkar, just don't expect a warm welcome."

"I'll keep you warm if you'd like," said Stormy as she eagerly grabbed Sephiroth's arm and clutched it lovingly, earning a slightly uncomfortable look from the one-winged angel.

Just then Darcy grabbed Sephiroth's other arm, making him look and feel even more uncomfortable, while Icy sighed with annoyance. With that the three witches and Sephiroth teleported out.

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"Excellent," said Xehanort, "all according to plan." At the same time he saw that at the Alfea potions lab, Avalon 'regained' consciousness from Palladium's antidote, assuring the elfin professor that he was alright. Palladium was taking it rather modestly.

"And this one," said Xehanort as he focused the image on Avalon, "there's more to him than meets the eye. I'll shall be keeping a closer watch on him."

* * *

**…Downland…**

"Wake up!" said Livi to the unconscious Armentia, "please, you gotta wake up!"

Slowly, Armentia and her Trogg warriors regained their senses, "what happened?" she asked.

"The Trix got away with the Codex piece," said Livi, "they have all four now! We're all doomed."

"I could care less about this Codex," said Armentia. She then raised her fist in anger, "but those three witches will pay dearly. No one makes a fool of me and gets away with it!"

"But you have to care!" said Livi, "Darkar's got all of The Codex now! He can go to Realix and get the Ultimate Power!"

Armentia ignored the tiny messenger as she yelled at her warriors, "get up you morons! We have a vendetta to prepare for! I demand satisfaction! I want revenge on those three witches and I want it now!"

* * *

**…The Wildlands Resort…**

Aiden, Tess and Elise hurried as fast as they could through the snow, reaching a wide canyon on the mountain.

"The cable car was somewhere around here," said Aiden, "where did it go?"

"It must have fallen before we got here," said Elise in a defeated tone, "we're too late." At that Aiden had a defeated look on his face as well.

But then Tess pointed at something, "look!" She ran ahead, with Elise and Aiden behind her. They reached a clearing in the trees and saw The Winx, their bonded Pixies, The Specialists, Morgan, Sora, Riku and Kairi, struggling to get out of a snow drift. Around them was the remains of something made of metal, wood and cloth.

"You guys are alright!" said Tess.

"What happened?" Aiden asked.

"It was incredible," said Sora, "we were all stuck in the car and the cable was going to snap at any moment."

"Without our powers, we couldn't fly out of the car and fix it," said Tecna.

"And with the cable about to break and send us plummeting to our deaths," said Timmy, "we were all more than a little freaked out."

"I'll admit," said Riven, "I was sweating, just a bit."

"A bit," said Musa, "you were all whining about how you should have stayed at Red Fountain."

"We were all panicking," said Riku.

"All but one of us," said Kairi, "Bloom shouted to everyone to calm down and work together, and we all listened."

"She then had this crazy idea of using our coats, skis, some metal pipes in the car and some makeshift string to build a big hang-glider of all things," said Morgan, "crazy, but it saved our lives."

"We finished it at the last second," said Kairi, "just before the cable broke and the car crashed into the canyon floor, we got on the hang-glider and jumped. I've never been on a hang-glider before and I hope I never will again, but this time was worth it."

"We're all safe and sound," said Stella, "and it's all thanks to Bloom."

"No," said a smiling Bloom, "we all did it, together," she looked at Sora, Stella, Sky and the others, "I'm so sorry, guys. I lost my faith in us as a team, and as friends," as tears began falling from her eyes, Bloom flung her arms around Sky, "I even lost faith in you, Sky, can you ever forgive me?"

"Of course," said Sky, "always, and don't worry, I'll always be there for you."

Just then there was a flash of white light and a strange object appeared on Bloom's sweater. It looked like a broach made of blue metal in the shape of a heart that curled around itself. "What's this thing?"

"It's a Charmix pin," said Chatta, "it's something a fairy can earn when she overcomes her weakness."

The pin then vanished, "it's still there," Bloom said, "I can feel it, in my heart, and my magic, it feels stronger, like it evolved to a new level."

"Alright, Bloom!" cheered Stella, while the others happily cheered as well.

"Looks like she's free of the discord spell as well," said Kairi.

"Yep," said Sora, "one down.

"And five to go," said Riku.

Jus then a breathless and dishelmed Carmen hobbled into the clearing, "everyone! I made it!" she then tripped and fell face first into the snow again, "oh, kobold farts!" she exclaimed, earning a round of laughter from everyone.

* * *

**…Shadowhaunt…**

"Impressive," said Sephiroth as he admired the dark architecture of the underground fortress.

"You can look later," said Icy, "right now we've got a delivery to make." With that she and her sisters, along with the one-winged angel, teleported into the room where Darkar sat on his stone phoenix throne.

"Finally," said an impatient Darkar, "you've returned," he then saw Sephiroth, "and with unexpected company no less."

"Darkar, Sephiroth," said Icy in a nonchalant tone, "Sephiroth, Darkar. Now that I've introduced the two of you," she then produced the Codex piece, "I believe this is yours." She then handed the crystal to the dark sorcerer.

"At long last," said Darkar, "the final Codex piece is mine! And with it, the key to ultimate power!" at that he began laughing manically, while The Trix laughed as well, while Sephiroth observed them in a calculating manner.

**The end of chapter 2.**

Next chapter finds our heroes changing locations and helping more of The Winx get their mojo back, while Xehanort moves forwards with his insidious plans. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	3. Chapter 3: On The Beach & In The Woods

Last time found Sora and the gang going with The Winx and their bonded Pixies, along with The Specialists and good witches, to the Wildlands resort so the six fairies could recover from the discord spell afflicting them. At the same time, Xehanort sent Sephiroth to observe Icy's capture of the final Codex piece, allowing the one winged angel access to Shadowhaunt and Darkar. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 3: On The Beach**

_…Wildlands Resort…_

Following the fiasco at the ski slopes, the combined group of Winx and their bonded Pixies, Specialists, good witches and Keyblade Wielders, retired to the hotel for a well earned rest that ended all too soon. The next day dawned bright and clear, so they all headed to the beach near the animal preserve.

Currently on the sands were Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa and Aisha, as well as Kairi, Tess and Carmen, while Tecna and Elise sat under a large umbrella playing 3D chess. Bloom wore a green and indigo two piece suit with a blue head scarf, Stella wore a red one piece suit, Musa wore a orange two piece with music notes embroidered on it, Flora wore a light purple single shoulder one piece with yellow lining and had her hair tied back in two pig tails, while Aisha wore a green two piece suit with green shorts.

Kairi had tied her hair back and was wearing an orange and blue two piece, Tess wore a green and yellow one piece, while Carmen, whom was applying high level SPF sunscreen, wore an all black two piece, Morgan wore a green and black one piece, while Elise wore a simple white t-shirt over a blue and orange two piece. Tenca hadn't put on a bathing suit and was wearing a lavender polo vest midriff top, with a miniskirt of the same color and wedged heeled boots.

Over at the water line Bloom's pet rabbit Kiko was jumping into the water, splashing the nearby Pixies, much to the distain of Tune. Over on the water, the Specialists patrolled on their hover bikes, while Sora, Riku and Aiden were underwater, trying to see who could hold their breath the longest.

"I think Ms. Faragonda was right," said a happily smiling Bloom, "we definitely needed this vacation."

"Amen, sister!" said Musa.

"It's great to get away from Darkar and his ugly plans," said Flora, "and to find ourselves in the heart of nature."

"Don't you think my outfit is just gorgeous?" Stella asked as she stood up and showed off her swimsuit, "in a lifeguard sort of way that is."

"I think it's absolutely perfect," said Bloom, while Kairi nodded in agreement.

"Whatever _suits_ you," grinned Morgan.

"I just had a fantastic idea," said Stella, "we should put on a beach fashion show for the boys."

Bloom and the other girls looked out on the water where Sky, Brandon, Riven and Timmy were vigilantly patrolling the waters. Musa and Aisha sighed with annoyance at Stella's suggestion.

"I think they're too busy for that, Stella," said Aisha.

"Yeah, I know," said Stella in a slightly dissapointed tone, "but I just wish they would get off of their uptight bikes and hang out with us for a while."

"Well," said Aisha as she eyed the hover vehicles enviously, "I just wish I had my own bike so I could go ride with them."

"Oh just chill, Stella," said Musa, "just sit back and enjoy the peace and quiet."

"Some of us are trying to unwind here," said Carmen as she applied more sunscreen to her skin.

"Haven't you already put enough of that on?" Kairi asked.

"I happen to be a creature of the night," said Carmen as she took her sunglasses off and applied some sunscreen around her eyes and on her eyelids, "we're a bit more susceptible to sunburn than you day walkers."

"I happen to be a creature of the day and night," said Morgan, "Mr. Sunshine can do whatever he wants to me."

"Yeah," said Carmen as she put her sunglasses back on, "and enjoy being baked like an Andorsian Lobster while you're at it."

"What kind of lobster?" Kairi asked hesitantly.

"It's a delicacy from my world," said Aisha, "cook one just right, it's delicious."

"I'll take your word for it," said Kairi.

"You really ought to enjoy yourself a bit more, Stella," said Bloom.

"I know," said Stella, "it's just that this part of the resort is so boring. There's no shopping, they boys are doing their thing, and both Tecna and Elise won't come out into the sunshine. Look, Tecna's not even wearing a swimsuit."

"I don't want to have a tan!" shouted Tecna as she focused on her next chess move, "so what's the point of a swimsuit?"

"Well, I'm wearing one," said Elise, "but I choose to stay in the shadows. Carmen isn't the only one with sensitive skin, and it's still your move."

"I know," said Tecna as she made her move, then Elise made her move.

"You sure you won't step into the light?" Stella teased as she twirled around, enjoying the solar rays bathing her body, "not even for a little while!"

"We're fine!" shouted both Tecna and Elise.

"Okay, okay," said Stella in a sheepish tone, "sorry I asked."

Just then Timmy parked his bike on the shore so he could grab a drink of water. Smiling eagerly, Aisha stood up, ran over to Timmy's bike, got on and zoomed out onto the water.

"Hey, that's mine!" shouted Timmy as Aisha drove out of earshot. He then looked at Stella and the others, "is she even insured?"

"I have no idea," said Bloom, while Stella sighed with bored annoyance.

Just then Tess looked out at the water, "how long have Sora, Riku and Aiden been down there?"

"You know," said Kairi as she sat up, a concerned look on her face, "I lost count of how long they've been holding their breath. I think we ought to check on them."

Just then Aiden burst from the waves, gasping for air. He checked his waterproof watch, "eight minutes and thirty-five seconds!" he shouted between gasps, "it's a new record!"

Just then Sora burst from the water, "eight minutes and forty seconds! Top that!" he triumphantly gasped.

Then Riku burst up from the water, "eight minutes and forty-six seconds!" he gasped.

"That's not fair!" said Aiden, "you guys are bigger than me!"

"So?" Sora asked.

"Well, you both have a bigger lung capacity than I do," said Aiden.

"Lung capacity has nothing to do with it," said Riku, "it's pure will power."

"Well I only came up because Aiden came up," said Sora in a boasting manner, "I could have lasted longer."

"Is that a fact?" Riku asked daringly, "well, I'll have you know that I only came up because you came up, Sora."

"So we both could have stayed down longer," said Sora.

"So can I!" boasted Aiden, "okay, the last one didn't count. This time is for real."

"For real," said Riku, "and the first one to come up for air has to pay the bill at the next restaurant we go to, including any we visit while here in The Magical Dimension."

"You're on!" said both Sora and Aiden. The three of them then took deep breaths and wend underwater again.

"Never mind," said Kairi, "they're fine." That earned a laugh from everyone on the beach.

* * *

_…Shadowhant…_

"And that's the grand tour," said Stormy as she walked at Sephiroth's left side, while Darcy walked at Sephiroth's right, "pretty wicked place, Shadowhaunt, right?"

"It is an impressive instillation," said Sephiroth, "but I didn't come all this way to admire the architecture."

"Well if you're bored," said Darcy in a low, husky tone, "I know something else we can do to pass the time."

"He doesn't want anything to do with you!" said Stormy in a jealous tone as she clutched Sephiroth's left arm, "he's my plaything."

"I saw him first!" said Darcy as she grabbed Sephiroth's right arm, "he's mine to do with as I please!"

"I am no one's plaything!" snapped Sephiroth, who was two seconds away from teleporting away from the two lustful witches and unsheathing Masaumne and carving Stormy and Darcy up like a pair of Christmas geese.

Just then Icy teleported into the area, "there you are!" she said in an annoyed tone, "I've been looking all over for you, sisters. The big bony boss wants to see all of…" she then saw that stormy and Darcy were still clutching at Sephiroth, "do I even want to know what you were up to?"

"We haven't even done anything, yet," said Darcy, "so just back off, Icy."

"Go get your own super hunk," said Stormy, "there's plenty to choose from at Red Fountain."

"And wind up with an ass like Riven?" Icy asked, "I think not. I'll find my own man, a real man, when I feel like it. Now come on, all of you. Darkar says he's ready to put The Codex back together."

"Oh, that," said Stormy as she and Darcy released Sephiroth, "we don't want to miss that." With that the three witches teleported out.

Once he was alone, Sephiroth sighed with annoyed frustration, "how much longer do I have to put up with this, Xehanort?"

* * *

_…Castle Oblivion…_

"Just until Darkar puts two and two together," said Xehanort as he, Dio Brando and Doctor Insano, watched events unfold on the Interocitor screen, "once he realizes that he is still missing something, I shall make my grand entrance and explain the situation to the creature."

"Why do we even need that bonehead?" Dio Brando asked, "sure, he's got a lot of dark mojo and an army of hideous monsters, but is he really that important? With my time stopping power, he'd be helpless. I could break him in half before he'd know it."

"His so called army is also pathetic!" said Insano, "why, I could take that inverted castle of his with a mere two hundred killer robots…no! Make that just one hundred," he then placed his fingers together eagerly, "oh yes, and the robots would all have lasers and missiles and miniguns, and here's a new idea! Laser guided Bee Cannons!"

"Laser guided bee cannons?" Dio Brando asked.

"It's a cannon with a laser sight," said Insano, "and the bees follow the laser to the target! One pull of the trigger and Darkar would be buzzed to death!" he then laughed maniacally.

"Save your ideas for later, my lunatic friend," said Xehanort, "you'll get your chance, but not until the right time."

"And when would that be?" Sephiroth asked.

"Soon," said Xehanort, "I will tell you when, but until that moment you must maintain your roll as the observer. Darkar may be a fool, but he can still cause us trouble if the game is given away too soon."

"I understand," said Sephiroth, "but those witches had better stop trying to seduce me, they're not my type."

"They're hot, young, evil, witches," said Dio Brando, "what more can you want?"

"They're too evil for my tastes," said Sephiroth, "I like women with some innocence in them, innocence that I destroy as I take what I want from them."

"Women are the bane of men's existence," said Insano, "as soon as I have the time, I'll perfect my design for a pleasure android. The brain dead fools at MIT laughed at my idea for a love bot, but we'll see who laughs when I build the perfect girlfriend!" he then laughed manically again.

* * *

_…Shadowhaunt…_

"Remind me to attend the award ceremony for your genius invention," said Sephiroth sarcastically. He then teleported after The Trix, arriving in Darkar's throne room just as the skeletal villain was standing before a stone platform, from which all four Codex pieces were hovering above and the big baddie himself was laughing triumphantly.

"At long last," said Darkar, "all is in readiness! All four pieces of The Codex have been brought together, "The time has finally come for me to embark on my conquest."

"It's about time," said Darcy.

"The energy of The Realm of Realix will make you invincible, Lord Darkar," said Stormy eagerly.

"Oh, there's more to Realix than simple energy, my dear witches," said Darkar as he used his dark magic to force the four crystals together, causing them to rotate against each other, "but that is a matter that will have to wait just a bit longer," he looked at Sephiroth, "bare witness to this moment in history, oh one-winged angel, witness and report it to your associates! For this moment is the moment when Lord Darkar becomes eternality triumphant!"

The rotating crystals began emitting a multi-colored gush of energy that was so intense, it forced The Trix to their knees, while Sephiroth was forced to stand back.

"Behold the power of The Key to Realix," said Darkar, "I shall unlock the hidden door, and The Ultimate Power shall be mine!"

"This is it, sisters," said a viciously smiling Icy, while Stormy and Darcy smiled with equal wickedness, "all our hard work is about to pay off."

"I can hardly wait to see what Realix looks like," said Darcy.

"I just want to see this big Ultimate Power," said Stormy.

Red lightning then shot from Darkar's hands into the swirl of energy, "fuse!" he shouted, "fuse and open the door!"

* * *

_…Wildlands Resort…_

A volleyball net had been strung up and a game was currently underway. One side had Bloom, Sky, Flora, Timmy and Kairi, while the other had Brandon, Riven, Tecna, Musa and Riku. Stella sat to one side, working on her tan, while on the other side sat Sora, Aiden, Tess, Carmen and Elise, while Kiko kept score. Currently Bloom's team had eight points, while Brandon's team had five. All the while the various pixies hovered above the game, cheering on their respective fairies.

The players passed the ball back and forth across the net, until Flora missed a spike from Musa. Kiko flipped the score card over. It was now eight to six.

Aisha then walked in from the woods, carrying an armload of wood for a fire on her right shoulder and a hatchet in her left hand.

"I'm surprised you're not playing, Aisha," said Stella, "this game is right up your alley!"

Aisha dropped the firewood on the ground, "well how come you're not playing, Stella?" she asked, "you don't like what they're wearing?"

"Not everyone Is obsessed with sports, you know," Stella said in an annoyed tone, "And you, are you carrying all those logs and that hatchet to look tough?"

"Firewood isn't an accessory," said Aisha.

"And just what are we going to need firewood for?" Stella asked.

"For the campfire tonight, of course," said Aisha, "honestly, haven't you gone camping before?"

"No," said Stella, "I thought we'd be going back to the hotel when it got dark."

"Well, haven't you ever built a fire?" Aisha asked.

"Uh-uh," said Stella.

"I don't believe this," said Aisha, "you can't live without shopping malls and fashion magazines, can you?"

"Well…it's who I am!" said Stella, her voice straining to hold back the tears that were trying to fall from her eyes, "not all princesses are as rugged as you are, Aisha!" with that she walked away.

"Did I say something wrong?" Aisha asked the others, who were looking at her and Stella in a concerned tone.

"It's the discord spell," said Carmen, "it's making her more emotional, not just prone to arguments."

"We'd better undo the curse soon," said Kairi to Bloom, "you managed to get your grove back on your own, but I'm not so sure about the others."

"I think you're right," said Bloom.

* * *

_…Shadowhant…_

"Fuse!" shouted Darkar as he pouted more dark magic into the swirling vortex coming from the spinning crystals, "fuse, damn you!"

"Shouldn't it have done whatever it's supposed to do by now?" Stormy asked.

"Why are you asking me?" Darcy asked, "Darkar's the one who knows what he's doing."

"Is even _he_ sure of what he's doing?" Icy asked.

Just then there was a flash and the vortex was gone and the four crystals softly fell to the stone platform.

"What was that all about?" Stormy asked, "Did it work or not, Lord Darkar?"

"No," said Darkar in a soft, almost disbelieving tone, "it did not. There was too much darkness, far too much."

"But you're the supreme dark one," said Darcy, "it's your power."

"Yeah," said Icy, "I mean, can there ever be too much darkness?"

_"Now is the time, Sephiroth,"_ said Xehanot to the one-winged angel, _"follow my words and all will go according to plan."_

"_Your _plan, you mean," muttered Sephiroth. He then heard Xehanort's instructions and spoke, "it is as Master Xehanort has predicted, Lord Darkar."

Darkar looked at Sephiroth, "what do you mean? Who is this so called Master Xehanort?"

"A man who experimented with the darkness and passed through it," said Sephiroth, "he delved so far into the darkness it seemed he would have been lost in it forever, but he returned with new knowledge. That is why he sent me to you, Lord Darkar, he has the answer you seek."

"Is that so?" Darkar asked, "very well then," he then walked to his throne and sat down, "inform your Master that I will grant him an audience. If his knowledge pleases me then he may stay. If not, I will feed him, and you, to my Shadow Monsters."

* * *

"Oh, you're in trouble now," said a wickedly grinning Dio Brando to Xehanort, "if you don't give the bonehead what he wants, you're monster meat."

"It's a risk I am willing to take," said Xehanort, "and when I take risks, I usually come out on top." He then summoned a Dark Corridor that crackled with black lightning, "hold down the fort while I'm gone, and try not to destroy too much of it, Insano."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Doctor Insano, "I always take good care of my laboratories."

"Still," said Xehanort, "Make sure nothing too drastic happens until I return," with that he stepped into the Dark Corridor, which vanished after him.

"Quick!" said Insano, "we're going on a fieldtrip, come on."

"Fieldtrip?" Dio Brando asked, "wait, what are you talking about?"

"Just what I said," said Insano, "we're going on a little excursion before Xehanort gets back."

"And just what will we be doing on this little outing of yours?" Dio Brando asked, "and we're not going. Xehanort said we're to stay in the castle."

"And you're going to obey him?" Insano asked.

"Of course I'm not," said Dio Brando, "but I'd like to have a proper reason if I'm going to do that."

"Oh, you'll like this reason," said Insano, "we're going to steal a patient from a hospital."

"That's…different," said Dio Brando, "but why? What purpose will this accomplish?"

"You certainly ask a lot of questions," said Insano, "well, this is no ordinary patient we'll be kidnapping. You'll understand when you see him. Come now, before Xehanort gets back."

Insano then pulled out a remote that opened up a normal Dark Corridor and he walked through. Dio Brando sighed and walked through as well, the Dark Corridor closing up after them.

* * *

With his hands clasped behind his bent back, Xehanort entered the throne room at Shadow Haunt, the Dark Corridor closing up behind him, "I greet you, Lord Darkar," said the dark master, "you seek answers to the riddle of The Codex, and I have them."

"So I've been told," said Dakrar, "your emissary holds you in high regard."

"We have a mutual understanding," said Xehanort. He then nodded to Sephiroth, who nodded back. Xehanort then looked at Icy, Darcy and Stormy, "ah, the infamous Trix. Your beauty is surpassed only by your wickedness."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, you dried up old creepazoid!" said Stormy, while Icy and Darcy frowned in disapproval.

"Witty as well as evil," said Xehanort, "I look forward to getting to know you three sisters better." He then walked towards Darkar, "so, you've tried to assemble the key to Realix, and failed. I assume you know why."

"An imbalance," said Darkar, "I had thought that my own darkness would be all that was needed to assemble the key, but it is too much. My power is too dark."

"What you need is a countering force," said Xehanort, "if you cannot think of it yourself, then there really is no hope for you."

"Yes," said Darkar as he stood up, "I see it now. There _is _a critical element that I overlooked! I need just one more thing to complete the ritual!"

"Whatever it is, we'll go get it, Lord Darkar," said Icy.

"And smash anyone or anything that gets in our way," said Darcy, while Stormy nodded in agreement.

"I need not a what," said Darkar, "but a 'who,' a person who's energy will balance my dark powers."

"And who is this person?" Stormy, "where can we find him?"

"Not him!" said Darkar, "_her_! Bloom of Domino! It's her power I need! The Dragonfire!"

"Bloom!" snapped Icy, "I should have known," she raised her fist in anger, "I never liked her!"

"Good luck getting her to work with you," said Darcy.

"Leave that part to me," said Darkar, "I shall worry about her cooperation when the time comes, but I must have Bloom's essence, her power, and I want it now!" he pointed at The Trix, "go! Bring her to me at once!"

* * *

_...The Wildlands..._

Night had fallen at the beach. Aisha had lit the firewood she had gathered and everyone sat around it's warmth, some of them roasting corn on the cob on sticks.

"So," said Sky, "what do you all want to do tomorrow."

"Go back to the city," said Stella in a sulking tone as she sat apart from the others.

"Whatever you Winx want to do," said Sora, "we'll do it."

"I'd like to go deeper into the forest," said Flora, "I hear that there's some huge animals and amazing creatures that live there."

"Sounds like a fun adventure!" said an eager Chatta, "I can hardly wait!"

"I was thinking that we could send out some postcards tomorrow morning," said Musa.

"It's traditional for young ladies on vacation to send postcards," said Tune.

"But what about your father, Musa?" Aisha asked.

"It's okay," said Musa, "I've never sent him a card before, but I'd like to try it."

"Musa and her dad had some issues that got solved earlier," said Morgan to Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess, "it's kinda funny and sad at the same time."

"Musa lost her mom when she was little," said Elise, "both her mom and dad were seriously into music; he a song writer and she a popular singer. Just when their combined career was taking off, Musa's mom died and it broke her father's heart."

"What made it worse," said Musa, "was that my dad lost his feelings for music. He really disapproved that I had mom's talent and wanted me to do something else. We stopped talking to each other when I started at Alfea. He showed up earlier in the year while I was getting ready for this big concert in Magix and wanted to show him what I could do.

"But then Stormy showed up for revenge. I managed to force her away from Alfea all by myself the day before and she took it rather hard, so she came for payback."

"She took Musa's dad hostage and tried to get her to sacrifice her life for his," said Bloom, "but Musa pulled things together and kicked Stormy back to where she belonged."

"And I patched things up with my dad at the same time," said Musa.

"Wish other things would get patched up," sulked Stella.

"Oh cheer up, Stella!" said Bloom, "we're about to write magic postcards! How often do you get to say that?"

"You forgot that our powers don't work in the wildlands," said Musa.

"Oh, right," said Bloom, "I just can't get used to it."

"Oh please," said Riven in his usual annoyed tone, "it's about time you girls got a taste of what's it's like to be without your magic powers and all you can count on are your wits, your muscles and sheer guts."

"This coming from someone with more guts and muscles than brains," teased Morgan, earning a laugh from Musa.

"He's right," said Bloom, "but still, I'll never forget how it felt when I got my Charmix, it was incredible."

"Yeah," said Stella in an eager tone, "all fairies can get one."

"Even you?" Morgan teased.

"Even me," said Stella, "and I'm not reacting to your taunt, Morgan, not because I didn't get it, I merely choose not to react."

"Well, you can't win them all," said Morgan.

"Well," said Sky, "if there's anything us mortals can do to help you get your Charmix, just let us know."

"They might just come in handy against Darkar when we get back to Alfea," said Tecna.

"That's right!" said Musa, "once all our powers have evolved to the next level, that jerk Darkar won't stand a chance!"

* * *

_…Shadowhaunt…_

"So," said Stormy as she, Icy, Darcy, Xehanort and Sephiroth, saw an image called forth from Darkar's cloak of The Winx, Specilists, good witches and Keyblade Wielders, on the beach, "they're in The Wildlands. Bloom is so caught."

"That little twerp!" snapped Icy. She then looked at Darkar, "you wouldn't mind if we rough Bloom up a bit before we bring her to you, would you?"

"So long as her powers are intact," said Darkar, "you can do whatever you please. Now pay attention, the Wildlands are a magic-free zone," as if to emphasize the point, the image of the beach faded in and out, "I cannot see clear enough to determine exactly where Bloom and her friends are."

"A magic free zone?" Icy asked.

"That is right," said Darkar.

"Of all the minotaur crap!" said Darcy.

"What can we do without our powers?" Stormy asked.

"You could try actually capturing the girl," said Sephiroth.

"Or you could help," said Darcy in a suggestive tone, "I'm sure a big, strong swordsman like you can handle a little trip to a magic-free zone."

"And we'll be right there beside you," said Stormy inn a seductive tone.

"Another time," said Sephiroth.

"Fear not, my witches," said Darkar, "your Gloomix will keep your powers functioning enough for a few spells, roughly a dozen or so for each of you. Now go! Bring Bloom to me at once! Go!" He then cast a teleportation spell that vanished The Trix in a flash of blue energy.

"I will have Bloom's powers at my command," said Darkar to himself, "I will possess The Flame of The Dragon!"

"You seem to hold The Trix in a high regard," said Xehanort.

"They have their usefulness," said Darkar as he began anxiously pacing back and forth, "and shall be discarded when that usefulness is finished."

"In that case," said Xehanort, "may I have them when you no longer need them? I'm sure that a man of my experiences can find a use for them."

"Do with them as you will," said Darkar, "I shall not be needing them for much longer," he then stopped pacing and glared at Xehanort, "but you puzzle me, Xehanort. For what reason have you and your emissary come to my domain?"

"For the same reason you have gone to so much trouble to get The Codex," said Xehanort, "The Realm of Realix. There are may secrets to that work between worlds, secrets that I wish to delve into while you are seeking The Ultimate Power."

At that Darkar laughed cruelly, "is that all? Well then, I see no reason why you should not accompany me into Realix. And you may indeed have the three witches when I am finished with them." He then looked down in frustration, "assuming they return with what I need. I must have Bloom! Her Dragonfire is the only power that can balance out my Shadowfire! I must have her! I must!" with that he resumed his pacing.

"You're not interested in any secrets," said Sephiroth to Xehanort in a hushed tone, "you told me you want The Ultimate Power."

"And I shall have it," said Xehanort, "I have a theory as to how Darkar shall get Bloom to do what he wants. The question is when will the right moment come to betray Darkar and take the Ultimate Power for myself."

"I'm more interested in what you have in store for The Trix," said Sephiroth.

"Have you no imagination?" Xehanort asked as he viciously smiled, "I may be an old man, but I can still partake in pleasures of the flesh, and The Trix, once properly conditioned of course, shall be very pleasing indeed."

"Don't let them hear that," said Sephiroth, "they'll most likely tear you to pieces."

* * *

Icy, Darcy and Stormy materialized in a jungle clearing somewhere in the Wildlands. Immediately, they all sneezed at the same time.

"What was that all about?" Darcy asked.

"Someone was talking about us," said Icy in an annoyed tone, "someone…with impure thoughts about us."

"I hope it's that hunk Sephiroth," said Stormy, "I can totally see us together."

"I saw him first!" snapped Darcy.

"No, I did!" said Stormy.

"Focus, sisters!" Icy demanded, "we've got a job to do."

"Right," said Darcy, while Stormy nodded, yet they glared at each other, silently promising to finish their disagreement over Sephiroth later.

"Now," said Darcy as she shook her head, "if only Darkar had let us teleport on our own. Talk about whiplash."

"I feel a little off center myself," said Stormy as she clutched her stomach.

"Delayed reaction teleportation," said Icy, "that's one for the record books, but that's for later. Remember, we've only got a few dozen spells between the three of us while in this horrible magic-free zone. We've got to come up with a plan to catch Bloom, and it had better be a good one."

The three witches then looked around an saw various examples of the local wildlife, most of them resembling dinosaurs and saber-toothed mammals, all of them vicious-looking predators.

"Oh yes," said a viciously smiling Darcy, "these creatures are just the ticket."

"Our powers may be limited," said Icy, "but The Winx are as weak as mortals. They don't stand a chance!" At that the three vile witches laughed like the villainess they were.

* * *

"What I don't understand is how you managed to change history without causing a paradox," said Tecna. The Winx, good witches and Specialists had been listening to Sora and the others recount some of their adventures. Currently they were hearing of what happened on Metamore and how a future version of Sora had warned his past self and the others of the dangers they would be facing.

"We never considered that there would be a paradox," said Kairi, "but now that I do think of it, I think what would have happened was the paradox, and when future Sora warned us, he ended up fixing it."

"Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey," said Aiden, "that's what The Doctor would call it."

"How was The Doctor?" Bloom asked, "did he say anything about me?"

"Not really," said Aiden in a thoughtful manner, "but then, Faragonda told us that The Doctor you met and the one I would up careening through time and space with, were two different versions of the same person."

"Time Lords had this thing about cheating death," said Elise, "if they were mortally wounded or poisoned, or even on command, their bodies can heal themselves, Regenerate, as well as completely change how they look and change their personalities. Aiden, The Doctor you traveled with was either a past or future version of The Doctor that helped Bloom and the others defeat The Cybermen."

"Wish he was there to help us defeat The Daleks," said Tess, "far too many people died in order to destroy those horrible things."

"I don't want to talk about monsters right now," said Stella, "especially not Cybermen," she shuddered, "those things still creep me out, let's talk about something else."

"As long as it's not about fashion and boys," said Aisha.

"I don't always talk about fashion and boys!" snapped Stella.

"You could have fooled me!" snapped Aisha.

"Cut it out!" shouted Kairi, "both of you!"

"Do we have to call a time out for you?" Sora asked

"You Winx seriously need to stop sniping at each other," said Morgan.

"What do we have to do?" Carmen asked, "make you sit in the corner or something?"

"Like you witches care about other people's feelings," said Stella.

At that Carmen looked like she had just been insulted, "is that what you really think of me and my friends? After all that we've been through, against The Trix and The Heartless? After welcoming you fairies into Cloud Tower and trying to make you feel at home?"

"We honestly tried to make you feel welcome," said Elise, "and if things hadn't been so chaotic while you were at Cloud Tower, you'd realize that there's far more to being a witch than just dark magic and spreading mischief."

"Enlighten us, then," said Tecna.

"Well for one thing," said Carmen, "when Headmistress Griffin said that we witches would betray each other without hesitation, that only applies to politics. You'd be surprised how many of us wind up in administrative positions, sometimes as advisors to leaders and politicians, other times we're the politicians. The whole backbiting thing is just us trying to get our own agendas head of the game."

"And we don't always use dark magic to cause problems and make people miserable," said Morgan, "yes, we do use dark magic, but it's necessary," she looked at Sky, Brandon, Riven and Timmy, "you would-be heroes think you're the only ones in this universe doing heroic stuff? Well, you're wrong."

"Witches sometimes use their powers to vanquish things," said Elise, "And by things, I mean things that go bump in the night; monsters and demons and such."

"The exorcism we used to help Bloom was just one ritual that witches can learn," said Carmen, "especially where I grew up. I told you that I witnessed and participated in a few exorcisms, well there's a lot of demonic possessions out in the boondocks of The Magical Dimension, that and a lot of other horrible stuff."

"I had no idea," said Bloom in an astonished tone.

"It's worse," said Carmen, "but I'll save that for later. To continue, we witches end up solving more problems than causing them. Sometimes a person comes to us for aid in one crisis or another."

"My mom once helped brew an anti-love potion in order to cure a stalker of an infatuation," said Morgan, "believe me, this guy was nuts about a girl who hated his guts and he wouldn't leave her alone. The potion took away his obsession and he got on with his life, eventually finding real happiness, and so did the girl he was stalking. Another time my mom helped negotiate an end to a feud between two clans that had been blood enemies for decades."

"I knew witches who helped solve legal disputes outside of court," said Elise, "and helped solve murder cases."

"We can pretty much solve any problem presented to us," said Carmen, "for a price, that is."

"Oh yes, there's the catch," said Musa, "money, it all comes down to money."

"Hey, even witches have to eat," said Carmen, "yes, we do charge gold for our services, but not all the time. I knew someone who helped discover a cure for a plague, in return for some rare potion items."

"My grandmother once cured a plague," said Elise, "and all she asked for as payment was a recipe for Jambalaya," she looked thoughtful for a second, "I probably have that recipe somewhere in my notes."

"I'd like to take a look at it if you still have it," said Aiden, "I'm trying to improve my cooking skills."

"You're not that bad," said Sora, "it's just…what you make is…"

"Bland," said Aiden, "I know. Not to worry, Sora, I'll be a better cook, just you wait."

"The light help us all," said Kairi.

"Well," said Bloom as she stood up and stretched, "I think it's time we all got some sleep."

"We've still got a few days of vacation left," said Sky, "so let's hit the sack and get an early start tomorrow."

Everyone said their goodnights and retired to a series of tents that they had set up earlier, each tent was pre-enchanted to comfortably house several people. Within a short while everyone was asleep. The Specialists were all in one, while the good witches had a second, The Keyblade Wielders had a third, with a curtain to divide the interior of the tent so the boys slept on one side and the girls on the other, while The Winx slept in the fourth tent with their bonded pixies slept in tiny sleeping bags.

But then after a few hours, something startled Kairi and Sora awake, and it wasn't a shared dream about chasing Nessie Cullen through the woods.

"Did you hear that?" Kairi whispered to Sora as she peeked her head around the curtain, careful not to wake up Riku, Aiden and Tess.

"I don't know," whispered Sora, "what did you hear?"

"I don't know either," said Kairi, "let's check it out."

"Right," said Sora. They carefully got out of the tent and looked around. They saw Sky already out with his energy sword activated, while Carmen looked around for any movement.

But then Bloom emerged from her tent.

"Looks like we all heard something," said Carmen.

"That," said Bloom, "and Aisha snores."

"You ain't kidding me," said Sky, "I could hear it all the way in my tent. How can you girls stand it?"

"The same way I've been enduring Morgan's snoring," said Carmen, "earplugs."

"Good idea," said Bloom. They all then heard what resembled a bird call coming form the woods.

"What was that?" Bloom asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," said Sky. They all heard the sound again.

"Whatever it is," said Kairi, "I doubt it was a bird call."

"It doesn't sound right to me," said Bloom, "like…like it was a warning."

"Well, there goes my thoughts of romance for the evening," said Sky. "Don't worry, I'll keep watch and if anything happens, you'll be the first to know."

"You're going to say up all night?" Bloom asked as the strange sound was heard again.

"Wouldn't be the first time I pulled an all night watch," said Sky, "this is your vacation, Bloom, so go get some rest, i'll be alright."

"No way," said Bloom, "I'm to wired to sleep."

"Same with us," said Sora, while Kairi nodded in agreement.

"You all should sleep," said Carmen, "night is my element, I can catch up on my sleep later." She then winced and sat down, rubbing her wounded leg through the walking cast, "besides, this leg of mine is hurting too much for me to relax."

"It's been hurting you?" Bloom asked as she sat next to Carmen, "For how long?"

"On and off since Icy's spell impaled my shin bone," said Carmen, "the healers tried to get me to take a pain draft, but I refused. No way am I taking any drugs that will fuggle my mind."

"Well, how bad is it?" Kairi asked as she sat on Carmen's other side.

"Let's find out," said Carmen. She then undid the Velcro straps of the walking cast and took it off. About halfway up her shinbone there was a half-inch wide circular scab that was nearly healed, but the area around it was bruised and slightly swollen.

"I ought to be able to walk without the boot by tomorrow morning," said Carmen as she felt around the bruised area, "but it still hurts like a mother-fraker."

"As soon as we get back to Alfea I'll finish healing it," said Bloom.

"With the way your healing magic has been acting?" Carmen asked, "I don't think so," she looked at Sora and Kairi, "this one has been dabbling with healing magic and the results haven't been pretty."

"I was using the wrong spell book," said Bloom, "I'm getting better at it."

"I still don't want to risk it," said Carmen.

"I'll heal it," said Kairi, "I'm sure you've been trying your best, Bloom, but I've had a lot more experience than you do at healing."

"Without a doubt," said Sora, "we wouldn't have lasted as long as we have without Kairi."

"Alright," said Bloom, "but I'm still going to try perfecting my own healing skills."

"And I appreciate it," said Carmen. She then winced at a sudden twinge of pain, "this is going to be a very long vacation," she then put her walking cast back on.

"If you're hurting that much," said Sky, "then I insist that you go to bed. You can't keep watch if your leg is bothering you."

"You really ought to get some rest, Carmen," said Bloom, whom then yawned, followed by Sora and Kairi, "And so should we."

"Is that and order from two members of royalty?" Carmen asked. She then looked at Kairi, "and three, I suppose."

"I try not to think about my being a princess that much," said Kairi, "but yes, we'll order you if we have to."

At that Carmen sighed, "I suppose there's no helping it then. Goodnight, all, and watch out for Tracker Jackers."

"What are those?" Sora asked.

"That's for me to know and you to find out, pretty boy," Carmen teased as she stood up and limped over to her tent.

"I don't think I'll ever get her," said Sora as he and Kairi returned to their tent, while Bloom went back to hers after saying goodnight to Sky.

"So long as she doesn't try to steal you from me," said Kairi.

"Like anything could," said Sora. He and Kairi then kissed goodnight, then got back into their sleeping bags, somehow without waking up Riku, Aiden and Tess. Within a few minutes they were asleep.

* * *

Elsewhere in the Wildlands, The Trix had set up their own campfire and were sitting around it.

"Everyone clear on the plan?" Icy asked.

"Crystal," said Stormy.

"We just need to wait for the right kind of monster to show up," said Darcy. As if in response, a large, grayish green behemoth with a serpentine neck that ended in a beaked head loomed over the edge of the clearing and shrieked at the three witches.

"Perfect," said Darcy as she stood up and put a compulsion spell on the creature, as well as other monsters that resembled dinosaurs and giant predatory mammals, including a group of blue-skinned trolls, "Now sit! All of you!"

The various monsters then obeyed, sitting down in front of The Trix.

"Good boys," said a viciously smiling Darcy, "you will now obey myself and my sisters. There are intruders in your land, evil intruders."

At that the various monsters howled, roared and shirked in fury.

"Yes, evil intruders," said Darcy as she continued to put the whammy on the monsters, "fairies, warriors and traitor witches. Believe me, they are you enemies!"

Again the monsters sounded out their rage.

"Find them!" said Darcy as she pointed off into the woods, "track them down and destroy them. But not the one with red hair, Bloom. You are to capture her. Do what you wish to the others, but bring Bloom here in one piece. Now go!"

At that the assembled monsters took off in different dirrections into the woods.

"Yes, bring Bloom to us in one piece," said Darcy.

"We'll handle hurting her," said Stormy, while Icy laughed with malicious delight.

* * *

_…The next morning..._

Sora and the others were abruptly awaken by the sound of metal clanging against metal, followed by Morgan shouting, "rise and shine, everyone! Rise and shine!"

"What the hell?" exclaimed a disoriented Aiden as he, Tess, Riku, Kairi and Sora rubbed the sleep from the eyes, "is she for real?"

They all got out of the tent, roughly at the same time as Bloom, The Winx, sans Stella who was sound asleep along with the Pixies, as well as Brandon, Timmy, Riven, Carmen and Elise, got out of their tents, while Sky was leaning against a nearby tree, rubbing his head as if trying to rid himself of a headache. Morgan had lit a fresh fire and was banging a spatula against a frying pan loud enough to wake the dead.

"Ah, hi there, sleepy heads," said Morgan cheerfully as she tossed the frying pan onto the fire and sat down by a large carton of eggs and an even bigger side of bacon, "you're just in time to tell me how you like your breakfast."

"Are you out of your freaking mind!" Aisha exclaimed.

"I sometimes wonder that," yawned Elise.

"Morgan," said an irate Carmen as she rubbed her eyes, "you may be my best friend, you may be like a sister to me and I love you for it, but sometimes you make me want to kill you!"

"I'm normally against capitol punishment," said Flora, "but this time I'm willing to make an exception."

"I agree," said Aisha, "and the death penalty has been banned on Andros for years."

"Oh come on, everyone," said Morgan, "lighten up, will you? It's a beautiful morning," she waved the spatula about, indicating the rising sun and the forest awakening to the new day, "you think you wouldn't want to miss any of it. Am I the only one who's seriously enjoying this little holiday of ours?"

At that Sora, Bloom, Sky, Carmen and the others sighed. "you're right, Morgan," said Carmen, "but next time, I get to set the alarm clock, and it'll be a real alarm clock."

"Deal," said Morgan, "now, who's hungry for eggs and bacon? And if you give me a second," she pulled out several loafs of bread and jars of jam from a knapsack, "I'll even have toast ready."

"Hang on," said Riven, "how'd you fit all of that into one little bag?"

"Oh, honestly," said Morgan in a disapproving tone, "how long have you lived in The Magical Dimension, Riven? I put a spell on my knapsack before we all left Alfea. Spells that were used on items before entering the Wildlands still work."

"Oh, that makes sense," said Sora, "I guess."

"We really do need to learn more about magic," said Tess.

A short while later everyone had finished breakfast, dressed for the day and were cleaning up the campsite. Aisha was trying to figure out a magic-powered Polaroid camera, while Bloom was cutting some sheets of paper to make postcards for everyone.

"Now this was a prodigious idea," said Tecna, "writing home to everyone, telling them of how our vacation is going."

"It's nice to think of others when you're far away," said Flora, "And it's a good reminder of how good love can be back home."

"Darn it!" said Aisha as she tried to take a picture but it printed out a blank sheet, "why won't this work?"

"I'd be happy to tell you how it works, Aisha," said Musa, "you want me to take your picture? You can put it on your postcard and send it to your folks."

"No thanks," said Aisha, "you and your dad may have patched things up, but I've still got issues with my mother and father."

Stella then emerged from the tent. This morning she wore an orange and white top with orange shorts, orange and white tennis shoes and an orange and green light scarf tied around her head.

"Well look who decided to rejoin the land of the living," said Aisha, "enjoy your beauty rest?"

"I'd have slept even longer if the sun hadn't decided to come up so soon," said Stella as she shielded her eyes from the morning light, "I may be the Fairy of the Sun and Moon, but there's only so much sunlight I can ignore before I absolutely have to get up. Though I did have this really weird dream about Morgan making some strange noises."

"Yeah, that was me," said Morgan, "I forgot to bring my alarm clock, so I improvised."

"Come and join us, Stella," said Flora, "we're making postcards for our families and everyone back at school."

"I'll be with you as soon as the rest of me wakes up," said Stella.

"I'd have thought you'd be first in like to send your mom and dad a new picture of you," said Aisha. She then looked at her camera, "if I can ever get this thing to work."

"Of course I want to send them new pics," said Stella in an evading tone, "I…I just don't know what to write to them about yet," she then walked away from the others.

"What's grinding her gears?" Aiden asked.

"That's what I want to know," said Aisha.

"Stella's parents are divorced," said Bloom, "she hasn't talked to them much.

"Oh," said both Aisha and Aiden.

"That's horrible," Aisha continued, "I had no idea."

"She pretends not to care," said Bloom, "but she's really sensitive about it."

"That sucks," said Aiden, "one of my friends back in my village, his parents got divorced. It was just awful, for him and everyone else."

"I can't even imagine how bad it's been for Stella," said Aisha as she cradled the still sleeping Piff in her arms. She then placed piff in the hood of her jacket for safekeeping and stood up, "I'm going to take a walk."

"I'll go with you," said Tess as she got up, "I don't mind stretching my legs."

"Just say on the path, both of you," Flora.

"It'd be quite difficult to find you if you got lost," said Tecna.

"And there's those strange noises from last night," Sky, "we don't know what's out there in the woods."

"What noises from last night?" Brandon asked, "this is the first I heard of it."

"Me too," said Stella.

"It was probably some animal making a fuss," said Carmen, "probably no big deal, but still, keep your eyes open. For all we know it was some kind of monster."

"We'll be fine," Tess, "I may not be able to go invisible in this realm, but I've still got my Keyblade," she then summoned hers, "see?" she asked as she held it up for everyone to see, then vanished it.

"Just be careful," said Kairi.

"We will," said Aisha as she and Tess took the path into the woods. Aisha then said to Tess, "I didn't know you could become invisible."

"You didn't ask," said Tess as they walked out of sight.

"They'll be fine," said Riku, "Aisha strikes me as a very capable woman, and Tess is the definition of capable."

"Yeah, yeah," said Riven, "but what about those noises you guys heard last night?"

"It probably was nothing," said Bloom, "but I still feel that something bad is out there."

"We can only keep watch and wait," said Sky in a slightly grim tone.

"Well, I for one am going to keep enjoying this holiday," said Morgan as she walked down to the edge of the water, "hey, Bloom, I'll bet I can make a better sandcastle than you."

"You're on!" said Bloom as she ran down to the edge of the water.

"Say, who won the bet yesterday?" Carmen asked, "the one to decide who could hold their breath the longest."

"I think that one ended in a tie," said Sora. He, Aiden and Riku looked at each other, "redo?"

"Redo!" said both Aiden and Riku. With that the three of them raced for the water.

"Boys," sighed Kairi, Carmen and Stella.

* * *

"So I then found out that I was adopted," said Tess as she and Aisha walked through the woods, "and the only clue to who I really am is this letter someone named Alegra wrote to me. She said that I had to be strong and that the answers I seek are out there, but would have to find them myself."

"That's horrible," said Aisha, "what kind of rotten person is this Alegra to deny you the truth of yourself?"

"Someone who wants me to find my own path in life," said Tess, "that's the theory I'm going with for now. I'm okay with it, but if I ever find myself face to face with Alegra, I'll punch her in the face."

"Break a few teeth for me while you're at it," said Aisha.

"Will do," said Tess, "now enough about me, what about you? What issues do you have with your family?"

At that Aisha sighed, "they're not really…issues," she said Aisha, "it's just that…they want me to be the princess they think I am, all prim, proper and above all, traditional, and the Andros royal family has a lot of traditions, especially when it comes to formal events. I don't know if the others told you yet, but I love dancing, it's one of the few things that truly make me happy, that and being a fairy of course. But dancing is who I am," she sighed again, "but because I'm the heir to the throne, I can only dance at formal events and only in formal, traditional dances. I hate that, I like to move to my own groove, move as my heart tells me, an most of all, I don't want to be ordered about and behave like a good little princess all the time."

"You crave freedom," said Tess.

"There's probably countless little girls throughout the universe who dream of being a princess," said Aisha, "but what they don't know is that to be a princess is partly like being a prisoner, a prisoner of status."

"I was a prisoner myself for a while," said Tess, "I…had a really bad experience when I was little and it really messed me up, trapping me in a vicious cycle of hate and revenge. But thanks to Riku and the others, I got better, much better. When you hang around with Keyblade Wielders, extraordinary things happen, especially if you're one of them."

"I'd like to be a Keyblade Wielder," said Aisha, "if only to experience the freedom you have. You travel all over the place, fight evil and have endless adventures."

"It's awesome," said Tess, "unless you count the part where every bad guy around you is after your head, and the never ending Heartless battles." She looked at Aisha in the eye, "be thankful for being a princess, for at least you know who you are and where you came from."

Before Aisha could respond, Piff flew out from her hood, the tiny Pixy lazily hovering with her eyes half closed.

"Piff!" shouted Aisha as she jumped up to grab the tiny pixy, but Piff flew out of her reach, "oh no, she's dream flying again! She doesn't know what she's doing!" she then tried to grab Piff again, but Piff then flew deeper into the woods, "Piff! Come back!" with that Aisha ran after her bonded Pixy.

"Wait!' shouted Tess, "you're not supposed to leave the path!" but it was too late for Aisha was out of sight. "Why didn't she listen to me?"

"Because passion rules reason more often than not," said a voice from behind her. Tess turned around and saw a woman wearing a gray cloak. The woman was slightly shorter than Tess, with graying brown hair down past her shoulders and silver eyes that had a slight glow to them. She seemed to be in her mid to late 40's. This was the same strange woman who warned her back on The Castle of Dreams.

"You," said Tess, "who are you? And how do you know Alegra?"

"I wish I could tell you, Tess," said the woman in a compassionate tone, "dear, sweet Tess, there is so much I wish I could tell you, but I promised Alegra that I would keep the secret. You must find the answers yourself."

Tess then suddenly had a disturbing yet hopeful thought, "are...you my mother? Or is Alegra my mother?"

"I'm sorry, but both are wrong," said the woman, "thought I wish it were otherwise. I've been watching you from afar for a long time. You can hate me for spying on you and not coming to help you when you were violated so horribly, but I was ordered by Alegra not to interfere. But I've been by your side nearly all your life, diligently keeping watch. I've come to love you as if you were my own child."

"Then at least tell me your name," said Tess in a hopeful tone, "please, tell me who you are!"

Just then Aisha shouted, "Tess! I found Piff but I've lost the path! Where are you?"

"Just a second!' shouted Tess as she turned her head in the direction of Aisha's shout. She then turned back to face the woman, but the woman was gone.

"Either she's my fairy godmother," said Tess, "or she's jerking my chain. Either way, I'm getting really annoyed." she then turned to shout to Aisha, "over here! Just follow my voice!"

A short time later Aisha, with the now soundly asleep Piff back in her hood, rejoined Tess on the path. They continued to walk a bit longer, eventually coming to a small pond to one side.

Aisha sighed as she and Tess sat down to rest.

"Now what's bugging you?" Tess asked as she took her shoe off to get a stone out of it.

"I honestly had no idea that Stella's parents were divorced," said Aisha in a depressed tone, her eyes beginning to leak tears, "there's a lot about Stella that I don't know, the same goes for Bloom and the other Winx. I guess I don't know them at all, some friend I am." With that a single teardrop fell from her eye and into the pond.

"Hey, what brought this up?" Tess asked, "so what if you don't know that much about your friends. There's a lot I don't know about Riku, Sora, Kairi and Aiden, and we're Keyblade Wielders for crying out loud."

"What does that have to do with being friends?" Aisha asked as more tears fell from her eyes.

At that Tess was at a loss for words. The truth was she really didn't know that much about friendship. With her relationships with Riku and the others she had been going by her instincts, with her heart telling her that these were people who loved her for who she was, not by all the terrible things she had done.

"You think you've got problems?" Tess asked abruptly, "I was ravaged and beaten nearly to death so many times it fraked up my head. Then I spent the next few years as a cold-blooded vigilante. But I changed. My friends made me a better person, just as I'm making them better. The same goes for you, despite what you know and don't know about them."

"Well," said Aisha as she wiped the tears from her eyes, "I guess that makes sense."

* * *

"So," said Timmy as he, Sky, Riven and Brandon sat down in beach chairs, "Stella and the others are finally putting their fashion show on."

"Big deal," said Riven as he irately crossed his arms, "you guys all have your favorites."

"As if you don't, huh, Riven?" teased Brandon.

"Whatever," said Riven, "hey, how long have Sora, Riku and Aiden been underwater this time?"

"I lost count," said Sky, "you think we should check on them?"

Just then Riku burst from the water, gasping for air, "ten minutes and forty-three seconds!" he exclaimed.

Three seconds later, Sora burst up gasping for air. He then looked around, "where's Aiden?"

"How can he still be down there?" Riku asked.

Aiden then shot up from the water, gasping for air. He then looked and saw that he forgot to set the timer on his watch, "quick, how long was I down there?"

"Who cares?" Riku asked, "you were down longest, so you won the bet."

"How did you stay down there longer than us?" Sora asked.

"Never mind that!" exclaimed Aiden, "how long was it?"

"Exactly eleven minutes," said Sora as he looked at his watch.

"Yes!" Aiden shouted triumphantly, "I did it!"

"But how did you do it?" Riku asked.

"Can you keep a secret?" Aiden asked as he, Sora and Riku walked up to the beach.

"Yeah," said Sora.

"So can I," said Aiden. In truth, he knew how to slow down his heartbeat and reduce his body's need for oxygen for a short time. He used this skill once before back on his world to fool the then evil Reddik and Rekel into thinking he was dead and all but forgotten about it until this morning.

Further up the beach, Stella and Bloom had set up a makeshift curtain out of some beach towels and a line of string.

"What are you worried about, Stella?" Bloom asked, "we're about to start?"

"Aisha for one thing," said Stella, "and Tess, only because she's not here, but Aisha most of all."

"I didn't think you two were on very good terms right now," said Bloom.

"Well," said Stella as she smiled, "it's true, we're not, but I'm willing to patch things up with her if she is."

"We'll find her after the show," said Bloom.

"No," said Stella, "you start without me, I'll go find her and apologize." With that she walked towards the path Aisha and Tess had taken earlier.

"She's going to miss her own fashion show?" Bloom asked in a shocked tone, "must be a sign of the apocalypse."

* * *

Just as Aisha was pulling herself together, she and Tess heard a twig snapping from up ahead. "What was that?" Tess asked as she stood up and pulled out her razor.

"What's that thing?" Aisha asked, looking at the razor blade cautiously.

"A little reminder of my vengeful days," said Tess, "I think it would be better if we got back to the others."

"Yeah, good idea," said Aisha, "but…which way did we come?"

At that Tess looked around and saw that they were nowhere near the path, "oh man! We're lost!" They then heard another twig snapping, "now what?" Tess asked as she raised her razor, ready to slice the throat of whatever came at them.

But it was only Stella emerging from the bushes, "whoa! It's just me!" she exclaimed as she saw the razor, "put that thing away before you hurt someone!"

"Sorry," said Tess as she pocketed her razor, "old habits die hard."

"I'd hate to know how you got those habits," said Stella. She then looked at Aisha, "are you alright? I was worried about you."

"You came all the way out here for me?" Aisha asked, "why?"

"Because we're friends, of course," said Stella as she gave Aisha a reassuring smile. "Bloom and I are putting on a little fashion show for the boys. I even got Carmen, Morgan, Elise and Kairi to be in it, and you would just be perfect," she then looked at Tess, "and so would you, my dear Ms. Thatcher."

"You want us to be in your fashion show?" Aisha asked as they all started back towards the path to the beach.

"Do we get a choice?" Tess asked

"You'd rather wander in the woods all day with the bugs and wild animals?" Stella asked. "Hey, I also feel left out sometimes too, you know."

"Since when do you feel left out?" Aisha asked.

"Since now for one thing," said Stella, "this whole camping in the wilds thing isn't really my thing after all. Give me civilization any day. But things would be better if my friends were all there," she looked at Tess, "you too. I know we only met the other day, but you're my friend as much as Bloom is, same goes for you, Aisha, and that's why I want you both in my fashion show."

"Aww, that's so sweet of you," said Aisha, "thanks."

"Any time," said Stella as she and Aisha shook hands.

"Do I get a choice in the matter?" Tess asked again.

But before anyone could answer, Stella suddenly glowed with a golden aura. "Hey, what's happening?" she asked as a mirror-shaped pin with two amber stones resembling the sun and the moon, appeared on her shirt.

"Where did this come from?" Stella asked as she admired the pin, but then it vanished, "oh, it's my Charmix, and it knows my fashion tastes so well!"

"You got your Charmix!" Aisha shouted happily as she and Stella hugged. But then they heard something that sounded like an animal growling, "What was that?"

"Now I know I'm getting rusty!" said Tess as she summoned her Keyblade, "something's been stalking us and I just now realized it!"

That something turned out to be a pair of monsters that looked like a cross between lions, tigers and wolves, with white fur and gray stripes and gray manes. One of them stood in front of the three girls, the other behind them, both growling menacingly as they bared their fangs and pawed the ground, leaving wide marks with their claws.

"We can't fight them both!" said Stella as she, Aisha and Tess kept looking back and forth at the two wolf-creatures as they monsters inched closer, "not without our magic."

"I could get one of them," said Tess as she raised her Keyblade slightly, "but then the other would attack and I'd be too late to stop it from tearing one of us to pieces."

"Running is starting to sound like a good idea now," said Stella.

"Wait," said Aisha, "what about your Charmix? It showed up when your powers evolved, right?"

"You're right," said Stella, "my powers do feel stronger. It's worth a shot. Magic Winx!"

In a flash of golden light, Stella transformed into her fairy outfit. But something new had been added to her sparkly orange outfit. Not only was her Charmix pin on her top, but at her left hip was an orange and blue purse-like object.

"Alright, you bad dogs!" said Stella confidently as she charged up a spell, "time to take you to the pound!" She then shot several spheres of golden light at one of the wolf-creatures, hitting it in the head and knocking it to the ground. At the same time, the other wolf-creature attacked, but Tess swatted it in the head with her Keyblade, knocking it to the ground. Both monsters soon recovered and ran away.

"You did it!" shouted both Tess and Aisha, while Stella reverted back to her normal attire.

"Yeah," said Stella, "but I drained my magic for the time being, I don't know when I can power up again. Let's just get back to the others."

"That's the smartest idea I've heard from you since we've met," said Tess, "and I mean that in a good way." With that the three of them ran for the path, while more wolf-creatures arrived in the area, growling menacingly.

* * *

"I'm worried about Stella," said Bloom, "I know she said that the show should go on, but it wasn't right without her."

"And what about Aisha and Tess?" Flora asked.

"I'm so frantic, I'm in a twist," said Amore, "where could Stella be?"

"Maybe they all got lost and fell down a deep, dark hole somewhere," said a frightened Amore. "or maybe they were eaten by wild monsters."

"Don't worry," said Bloom in an assuring tone, "this place is perfectly safe."

"They call can look after themselves," said Riku, "especially Tess."

"You mean the homicidal maniac?" Elise asked.

"She's better now," said Riku, "and yes, she'll keep Stella and Aisha safe."

"Just relax, Lockette," said Flora, "there are only animals here, not real monsters."

"Let's just change the subject," said Digit.

"Like asking if anyone else got their Charmix?" Chatta asked.

"Not yet," said Tecna, "and without magic, it's a blind scavenger hunt."

"Well your powers won't evolve by just sitting around and doing nothing," said Riven in an annoyed tone. He then walked off a bit with a book in his hands.

"You shouldn't say thing like that!" said Musa as she ran after Riven.

"Why shouldn't I?" Riven asked, "what's wrong with speaking your mind?"

"It's embarrassing," said Musa, "you end up putting your foot in you mouth so much, it's a wonder you're not infected with something, someplace."

"I call it as I see it," said Riven, "I'm not trying to get you mad. Are you accusing me of getting you upset on purpose?"

"You…" said Musa.

"Got a problem with it?" interrupted Riven, "never mind, I already know what you're going to say." with that he walked away from Musa as she sighed with exasperation.

"Those two really need counseling," said Kairi.

"Or maybe they just weren't meant to be," said Timmy.

"It's a distinct possibility," said Brandon as she stood up.

* * *

"How much farther till the beach?" Tess asked as she, Aisha and Stella ran along the path.

"I can't remember!" said Aisha, "just keep running!"

"How many of them are there now?" Stella asked.

Tess glanced behind at the wolf-creatures chasing them, "about three or four."

"That counting the two we saw first?" Aisha asked.

"I'm not sure," said Tess.

"You mean there could be five or six of them behind us?" Stella asked.

"It's possible," said Tess.

"Remind me next time we go camping to pack a shotgun," said Aisha. They then jumped over a long, thin long that had fallen on the path. Aisha then stopped and ran back, "I've got an idea!" he shouted.

"What are you doing?" Stella asked as she and Tess stopped.

"Slowing them down!" said Aisha as she pushed one end of the long so that it was raised up. One of the wolf-creatures tripped over the raised log, then another one tripped over the first one.

"That ought to buy us some time!" said Aisha as she ran to catch up with the others and they all kept running.

"But how much?" Stella asked.

* * *

While the others were enjoying themselves in various activities, Kairi risked following Musa as she was walking in the woods. Kairi paused behind a tree as Musa and Brandon ran into each other.

"What are you doing out?" Musa asked.

"I just wanted to talk," said Brandon, "you and Riven are having another row, right?"

"Yeah, well," said Musa, "he's an ass, what else is new?"

"Well, what I've seen and heard," said Brandon, "this happens a lot. Don't try to deny that you find it all too easy to argue."

"I just overreact sometimes," said Musa in a voice that didn't do much to hide the fact that she was holding her feelings back.

"But honesty takes courage," said Brandon, "and you've got a lot of it. You defeated Stormy all by yourself that one time, right?"

"But how am I to know who to trust?" Musa asked, "I obviously can't trust _you_, Kairi!"

"How'd you know I was here?" Kairi asked as she emerged from behind the tree.

"I could hear you breathing," said Musa as she pointed to her ears, "these aren't just or listening to music, you know."

"Sorry," said Kairi, "but Brandon is right, you're only going to make yourself feel worse the longer you deny your real feelings."

"The first thing you need to do," said Brandon, "is go find Riven and tell him the truth," he indicated the path, "he's a way that way, so go get him."

"And give him a verbal black eye for me," said Kairi, "no boy should talk to a girl the way he's been talking to you. You tell that ass that he's that, an ass."

"He went off by himself?" Musa asked in a suspicious tone, "what's that jerk up to now?"

* * *

"Are you sure this is going to work, Icy?" Stormy asked as the two of them channeled their dark magic into an arcane trap they were construction, "this is really hard without our full powers, and we don't have that much magic with us to begin with."

"Trust me, Stormy," said Icy, "this and other traps we're setting are sure to capture those precious little Winx."

"Yeah, but how are we going to lure them to the traps?" Stormy asked.

"Leave that to Darcy," said Icy, "her new pets will chase Bloom and her friends right into our snares."

"These monsters sure are an improvement than some of her other pets," said Stormy, "remember how she treated The Heartless?"

"Like they were puppies," said a disgusted Icy, "it was sickening."

"I know," said Stormy, "it was sick. Anyway, I can hardly wait to see Bloom and the others corralled into our nice new traps. It'll be worth exhausting ourselves just to see the look of hopelessness on their faces!"

"I'm with you on that, sister of mine!" said a viciously grinning Icy.

* * *

Kairi followed Musa as she spotted Riven laying down on the trail floor, "what's he doing?" Musa asked as she crept up on Riven. She then saw that he was on the edge of a hill, looking down on something. Musa then saw what Riven was seeing and gasped in shock.

"What is it!" Kairi asked in hushed tone as she reached Musa and Riven. They then saw in a clearing below Darcy, putting her whammy on several monsters.

"I've been following Darcy's tracks for a while," said Riven, "if she's here, then Icy and Stormy aren't that far away."

"How can she be using magic here?" Musa asked.

"I don't know," said Kairi, "whatever it is, it's not good."

"We have to go tell Bloom and the others," said Musa.

"And find out what The Trix are up to," said Riven, "Musa, you Kairi stay and watch Darcy, I'll go tell the others."

"No," said Musa as she put her hand on Riven's shoulder, "I'll go, you keep an eye on Darcy."

"You'd leave me alone with that witch?" Riven asked, "after what she did to me last year? After what she made me do to you? You're not worried?"

"I guess I'll have to trust you," said Musa as she smiled.

At that Riven was left speechless.

"Besides," said Musa, "I'm sure you know what's best for you." With that she winked at Riven and stood up, then looked at Kairi, "you coming or staying?"

"I'm going with you," said Kairi, "you still don't have your powers." With that they hurried back the path, while Riven kept watch on Darcy.

"I did it," said Musa in an astonished tone as she and Kairi made their way through the woods, "I was honest with my feelings and trusted Riven."

"You've taken a step towards maturity," said Kairi.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Musa asked, just as a silver pin shaped like a treble clef with a amethysts stone set in it, popped onto her shirt.

"Is that…?" Kairi asked.

"It's my Charmix!" Musa shouted joyfully, "my powers are so much stronger now, I can feel it! We've got to tell the others!" with that she and Kairi ran faster through the woods.

* * *

"I think our situation just got worse!" said Tess as she, Aisha and Stella kept running.

"You mean worse than the wolf-things chasing us?" Stella asked.

"They're gaining on us!" shouted Aisha.

"That's the worse part!" said Tess.

Just then several more wolf-creatures as well as some blue trolls appeared ahead of them.

"Correction," said Tess as the three of them stopped, "now things are worse."

"Is your Charmix recharged yet?" Aisha asked.

"I don't know," said Stella, "maybe one or two spells enough to take out one of those things, but not this many."

The monsters began to close in on them. "Any bright ideas?" Tess asked as she held up her Keyblade, darking left and right, trying to decide on which monster to take out first and hope that Stella and Aisha wouldn't be left venerable.

"Wait, that's it!" said Aisha, "Stella, shoot your spell into the air, like a signal flare."

"Alright," said Stella confidently, "here it goes!" with a flash of light she had resumed her fairy form with her mirror pin and purse-like accessory. She then fired off her spell, shooting a burst of golden light into the air that exploded like a firework.

* * *

"What was that?" Tecna asked as she, Flora and Bloom saw the burst of light over the woods. Everyone else saw it, Sky, Timmy, Sora, Riku, Aiden, even Kairi, Musa and Brandon. They all began running towards the source of the distress signal.

* * *

"That's it," said Stella in a slightly exhausted tone as she reverted back to her normal attire again, "I'm done for now. Even with my Charmix, I can't do any more spells for a while."

"You did your best," said Tess.

"And now we'll all have to do our best," said Aisha, "if these things want us, they're in for a fight to the finish."

"My kind of battle!" said Tess eagerly as a wolf-creature leapt at her. She smashed it on the head with her Keyblade, then found herself facing two more.

Just then Brandon jumped into the area, kicking one wolf in the head and threatening another with his energy broadsword.

The creature leapt at him but Brandon maneuvered so that the creature wound up hitting the edge of his sword, slicing into its neck. The wolf-creature fell to the ground and didn't get back up.

"Look out, Brandon!" shouted Stella as a troll attacked him from behind. He did an about face and swung his sword upward, cutting the troll's wooden club in half. Brandon caught one piece of the club and smashed it into the monster's face. It clutched at its face as it spun around and fell to the ground. With that the other monsters decided that they had had enough and left the area.

"The bigger they are," said Brandon in a slightly out of breath tone, "everyone alright."

"Oh Brandon," said a joyful Stella, "you were so brave," she ran to him and flung her arms around him, "but what about you? Are you okay?"

"I think so," said Brandon, "I'm fine as long as you're fine, Stella." With that the two of them kissed. He then grinned happily, "I ought to save your life every day."

"Oh get a room," muttered Aisha.

Just then Bloom, Musa, Sky, Timmy, Flora, Tecna, Carmen, Morgan, Elise, Sora, Riku, Kairi and Aiden, arrived in the clearing, along with the bonded Pixies, "aww…" said Amore as she saw Brandon and Stella, "it's a dream come true."

"What happened?" Bloom asked.

"These wild animals attacked us," said Aisha.

"We were just minding our own business," said Tess, "and they decided that we were tasty, or something," she then threw her Keyblade at one of the wolves who had stayed behind for some reason. The Keyblade smacked the creature in its rump, causing it to yelp in pain and limp away.

"That's right, run you filthy, man-eating animal!" shouted Tess as she caught her Keyblade.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," said Sky, "animals don't attack people without a good reason."

"You won't get any arguments from me," said Lockette as she hovered near Bloom, "I sense danger, serious danger."

"I'll bet it has something to do with those weird sounds from last night,' said Bloom.

Just then several more monsters appeared in the area, including the wolf-creature that Tess had just annoyed.

"Now would be a good time to apologize for antagonizing the thing," said Aiden as he, Riku, Kairi and Sora, summoned their Keyblades.

"That thing tried to eat me!" said Tess, "no way am I apologizing."

"Anyone got any more bright ideas?" Brandon asked as the monsters advanced on our heroes and allies.

"It's a simple plan but a good one," said Bloom, "run!" with that everyone ran from the creatures, who pursued them like bloodhounds.

* * *

"Am I the only one who heard that?" Icy asked.

"Sounds like the party started without us," said Stormy.

"I'll bet they're heading straight for our traps," said Darcy.

"And all we have to do is snatch up Bloom from the others," said Icy, "won't Darkar be pleased."

"So that's their game," whispered Riven as he watched The Trix.

* * *

"So how often do Keyblade Wielders end up running?" Aisha asked as they all fled from the pursuing monsters.

"More often than you'd think," said Kairi.

They then came to a small rise in the trail, "this looks like a good place to make a stand!" said Sky as he and Brandon stopped and raised their energy swords. Sora, Riku and Aiden joined them with their Keyblades ready. They all slashed at the monsters, dealing damaged that made some of them run away, but others, like the trolls, were either too stupid or too stubborn to run, so those had to be finished off.

Sky and Riku found themselves facing a paticulary large ad thick-skinned troll that was stronger than the others, their attacks having little effect on it's armor-like hide.

But then a spark of Pixy magic hit the troll in the head, distracting it. "Hey! Pick on someone your own size!" shouted Chatta as she threw another spark of magic at the troll.

"Be careful, Chatta!" shouted Flora, just as the troll reached up to grab the pixy of cheers. But Chatta flew out of the way, allowing Sky and Riku the chance to find a weak spot in the troll's skin and destroyed it.

"Look on the bright side, Flora," said Chatta, "they're slow as molasses."

"So am I without my wings!" said Flora as they kept running.

"We can't keep this up forever!" shouted Sky as he stabbed one monster, then jumped out of the way of another.

"At least the others are safe," said Sora as he ducked a club swing from a troll.

But then Sky looked behind and saw a monster that was a cross between a scorpion and a pterodactyl, swooping down to attack Bloom.

"Magic winx!" shouted Musa. With a flash of disco lights, she had assumed her fairy form with the addition of her Charmix pin on her top and a CD player-like purse at her left hip.

Musa then took flight and shot a sonic spell at two wolf-creatures, disorienting them enough to make them run away. She landed, "now that's the sound of magic power," she said happily as she used her CD player accessory to cast a larger sonic spell on the flying scorpion, forcing it way from Bloom.

"You got your Charmix too?" an astonished Stella asked.

"We'll talk later," said Musa as she powered down to her normal attire, "right now we've got to get away from these things."

"That valley we saw on the flight to the resort," said Elise, "it's free of monsters, at least I hope so."

"We've got no choice," said Bloom, "we'll make a run for it."

"The hell we've got a choice!" said Carmen, "I'm sick of running from wild beasts!"

"Speaking of which," said Kairi, "you have been able to keep up with the rest of us."

"Hey, you're right," said Carmen. She then looked down at the walking cast on her leg and took it off. The circular scab had healed considerably since last night and the bruising and swelling had significantly gone down as well.

"My leg feels a lot better," said Carmen as she threw the walking cast at a troll, hitting the ugly brute in the eye and forcing it to run away, but more and more monsters kept coming.

"I hate to sound like a coward as much as you do, Carmen," said Morgan, "but we wouldn't last very long against these things."

"I hate it when you're right," said Carmen, "everyone! Run for the valley!" with that they all started running again, while the assembled monsters gave chase.

* * *

"Everything's all set!" said Icy as she, Darcy and Stormy stood atop a small ridge and surveyed their work. The traps were set up as a wide, glowing grid, ready to spring on whoever touched them.

"I can hear them coming," said Darcy, "they're on their way."

"I can hardly wait," said Stormy.

"You won't have to wait for long," said Icy.

* * *

"This is not natural!" said Flora as everyone ran downhill towards the intended valley, "animals don't attack for no reason. What could be making them act this way?"

"If it's not Darkar, I'll eat my hat," said Bloom, "and I don't really have a hat."

"You're still right, Bloom," said Musa, "Riven, Kairi and I saw Darcy earlier in the woods. She was putting her whammy on the monsters."

"Why didn't you tell us this before!" Morgan exclaimed.

"We were too busy running or fighting," said Kairi.

"All we can do is keep running," said Stella.

"Well that sincerely sucks," said Aiden.

Just then Riven ran onto the path in front of everyone, waiving his hands for them to stop, "it's a trap!" he shouted, "the Trix set it up and we're all being lead into it."

"Are you sure, Riven?" Sky asked.

"Positive," said Riven, "I overheard The Trix talking about it."

"Well look who's had a change of heart," teased Stella.

"I'm serious," said Riven, "look, I know how they set the trap up, so if you want to avoid getting caught in a pain-inducing net, follow me. Step only where I step," he then walked off of the path, deliberately walking in a seemingly awkward way. Musa followed him, copying his movements exactly.

"You all heard him," said Bloom, "let's go!"

With that everyone copied Riven's movements, taking extra care to avoid the trap, eventually making it through the trees and into a clearing.

"We made it," said Stella happily.

"That seemed a little too simple for me," said Elise as she bent down and examined the trap, which had been rendered visible in the sunlight, "either we're getting luckier, or The Trix are getting stupider."

"My money is on the latter," said Morgan.

"Wait," said Flora, "I can hear the animals getting closer.

"Let's get going again," said Aisha.

"And where are we going to go?" Timmy asked as he pointed ahead to the edge of a sudden cliff.

"How'd that get there?" Tess asked.

"Geology and tectonics," said Tecna.

"Ask a silly question," said Tess to herself.

* * *

"Well now," said Stormy as she and her sisters watched from a different cliff, "this worked out rather perfectly. The winx are finished."

"Same goes for those specilists and Keyblade brats," said Darcy, "and those traitor witches."

"There's no chance they'll escape," said Icy. She and her sisters then laughed viciously.

* * *

"All of a sudden I'm reminded of The Alamo," said Bloom as the monsters stalked towards our heroes and allies, forcing them to edge closer and closer to the cliff.

"Which version?" Kairi asked, "John Wayne or Billy Bob Thronton?"

"Does it matter?" Bloom asked, "they all die in the end."

"Good point," said Kairi.

"We did get past the trap," said Musa.

"yeah, but now we're backed into a corner," said Aisha.

"What can we do?" Flora asked as the monsters got closer and closer.

"Put our heads between our legs and kiss our asses goodbye," said Morgan.

**The end of chapter 3.**

Next chapter finds our heroes and allies battling the insidious traps and monsters of The Trix, while Xehanort puts more of his dark plans into action. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!


	4. Chapter 4: A Hero's Redemption

Last time found our heroes and allies enjoying a campout on the beach, with one thing leading to another, resulting in Stella and Musa getting their Charmix. At the same time, Xehanort arrived in Shadowhaunt in order to get in Darkar's good graces and to further his own gains. Darkar, meanwhile, ordered The Trix to the Wildlands in order to capture Bloom, triggering a chain of events that had the Keyblade Wielders, Winx, Specialists, bonded Pixies and good witches, to be backed into a corner.

_Please note that I've changed the history of a certain character, whom, in her original story line, died but was featured in the first Kingdom Hearts game. I've added this bit to explain her surviving death._

'nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 4: A Hero's Redemption**

"All of a sudden I'm reminded of The Alamo," said Bloom as the monsters stalked towards our heroes and allies, forcing them to edge closer and closer to the cliff.

"Which version?" Kairi asked, "John Wayne or Billy Bob Thronton?"

"Does it matter?" Bloom asked, "they all die in the end."

"Good point," said Kairi.

"We did get past the trap," said Musa.

"Yeah, but now we're backed into a corner," said Aisha.

"What can we do?" Flora asked as the monsters got closer and closer.

"Put our heads between our legs and kiss our asses goodbye," said Morgan.

"Not this year!" said Carmen in a determined tone as the various dinosaur and mammal like monsters and trolls closed in, "there's no way in heaven, hell or any realm between are we're all going to end up being torn to pieces by a bunch of dumb monsters! We'll think of something."

"No way are we giving up," said Bloom, "better get ready."

"I've got a plan," said Flora, "Stella, Musa, Bloom, you've got your Charmix, so you can fly out of here with the Pixies."

"No way!" said Bloom, "it'll be a cold day in hell before we fly away."

"We stand here together," said Stella, while Musa nodded in agreement.

"Then together we stand!" said Sora while he, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess raised their Keyblades.

Up on the higher cliff, The Trix watched with eager eyes, "oh yeah," said Icy, "the whole gang is done for!"

"Bloom is in the bag!" said Darcy, while Stormy rubbed her hands together in eager anticipation.

Just then Timmy spoke up, "wait, I've got an idea."

"Oh really," said Tecna in an annoyed tone, "well, based on your past performances, I'd say that whatever plan you have, it won't work."

"Oh come on," said Brandon, "when Timmy's got tactics, we Specialists listen, always."

"Thanks, Brandon," said Timmy.

"Well don't keep us in suspense, man," said Aiden, "what's the plan?"

"We know the way through the trap," said Timmy.

"But the monsters don't," said Bloom in an eager tone, "of course! Make them chase us through the traps and have them get caught!"

"It's not half bad," said Tecna in a reluctant tone.

"It's better than half bad," said Kairi, "it's perfect," she then looked at Riven, "lead on!"

"Right!" said Riven. With that they all ran to their right. The monsters were confused by our heroes and allies sudden actions and hesitated a few seconds before following.

As everyone ran, Tecna looked behind to see Timmy lagging behind the others, pressing some buttons on a remote. "What are you doing, Timmy!" Tecna shouted.

"Something that will help later on!" Timmy shouted. He soon caught up with the others at the edge of the woods.

"We're in the best position to lure the monsters into the thickest part of the trap," said Riven, "over there is the thinnest part is, so we can make our way through it."

They then passed through the trap, just as the monsters ran into it, some of them caught in tripwires and bent-tree snares, others caught in nets and pitfalls.

"Unbelievable, we made it," said Riven as the last of the monsters were caught, leading to our heroes and allies to cheer happily.

"Not so tough now, you big ugly brutes?" Morgan taunted to one of the creatures. She then pulled down her left eyelid and stuck out her tongue.

"Trapped in their own trap," said Musa, "so awesome."

"It's not over yet!" said Sky. Sure enough, a single troll was using the net-ensnared monsters to swing over the trip wires, followed by a flying scorpion, and there were a few more behind them.

"Let's run through the trap again," said Bloom, "and finish catching the rest of the monsters."

"No," said Riven, "we'll never make it all bunched up like this."

"Then we'll have to split up," said Timmy, "scatter so they can't get us!"

With that they ran through the trap, spreading out so the remaining monsters couldn't focus on a single target.

"Oh, I don't believe this!" snapped Icy, "how did they get away?"

"They won't be free for long," said Darcy, "let's get them!" with that the three witches teleported out.

* * *

"I think we lost those things," said Bloom as everyone caught their breath by a stream, "so now what?"

"I think it's time to call it quits on this vacation," said Elise.

"I agree," said Stella as she sat down on a nearby rocks, "let's all go home. Monsters and trolls and witches were so not on the itinerary."

* * *

"These stupid things are worse than worthless," said Stormy as she and Darcy freed the captured monsters from the traps, "you idiots were supposed to capture Bloom, not yourselves!"

"We still have the advantage," said Icy, "thanks to the Wildlands, The Winx, Keyblade Brats and traitor witches have next to no power. Our magic on the other hand is still charged by our Gloomix. It's still enough to maintain our hold over the monsters."

"Well I say we sack the ones who aren't up to being real monsters," said Stormy. She then pointed to a nearby group of rhino-like monsters, "now these are what I call monsters of mass destruction."

"You think you can make these creatures work for us, Darcy?" Icy asked.

"Piece of cake," said Darcy as she put her whammy on three of the rhino-monsters, placing them completely under her control. They walked over to The Trix and stopped, waiting for their command.

"Now this is more like it," said Icy as she affectionately rubbed the horn of one of the rhinos.

* * *

"We can't stay here for much longer," said Timmy as everyone tried to relax by the stream, "if those monsters catch us here, that's it, game over. We've got to set the stage for the next level."

"Like you could think of something that would get us out of this mess," said Tecna in an annoyed tone.

"Just what is your problem, Tecna?" Riku asked, "last year you and Timmy were such good friends."

"What made you hate him so much?" Kairi asked

"I don't hate him," said Tecna as she stubbornly crossed her arms, "I hate what he is, a coward."

"I'm not a coward!" said Timmy, "I just choked that one time, that's all."

"That one time was all it took to ruin everything!" said Tecna.

"Just what happened?" Kairi asked.

"When The Trix stole the Red Fountain piece of The Codex," said Brandon, "we all tried to stop them, but they pretty much walked all over us."

"But Timmy had a chance to stop them," said Tecna, "he had all three Trix right in his sights and could have blasted them, but he didn't, because he was too afraid of them to pull the trigger!"

"Is this true?" Aiden asked.

"Yes," said Timmy in an ashamed tone, "I could have shot all three of them with stun blasts. I had them at point blank range, but I lost my nerve. This one time I lost my nerve."

"And it cost us the first piece of the Codex!" snapped Tecna, "and lead to everything else. It's all your fault, Timmy! You could have stopped The Trix right then and there but you were too afraid, you coward!"

Elise then abruptly walked up to Tecna and slapped her across the face, causing Bloom and everyone else to gasp in shock.

"Don't you ever call him a coward!" snapped Elise, "it's not his fault he lost his nerve at the moment of truth, it could have happened to anyone!"

"But it happened to him!" said Tecna as she felt were Elise slapped her, "it's his fault!"

"Well blaming him won't save our lives," said Kairi, "now apologize to him."

"I'll apologize to Timmy when Elise apologizes for hitting me," said Tecna.

"You apologize first," said Elise.

"No, you apologize first," said Tecna.

"You first," said Elise.

"You first!" said Tecna.

"Oh good gods," said both Aiden and Morgan.

Just then everyone heard the incoherent babbling of Piff. The tiny pixy flew over and landed on Bloom's outstretched hand.

"What's wrong, Piff?" Bloom asked.

Piff then said something incoherent in a frantic, urgent tone.

"What did she say?" Sora asked.

"It's all Greek to me," said Riku.

"Piff, try again," said Musa.

"And enunciate," said Tune, "remember your vowels."

Piff then repeated her babbling, but now more slower and more pronounced.

"Oh no!" said a shocked Stella, "Aisha!"

"You can understand her?" Kairi asked.

"No," said Stella, "but that scrap of cloth that Piff's holding, it's from Aisha's jacket."

Sora and the others saw that Piff was holding a piece of cloth from Aisha's jacket. Piff then said something else.

"She said that she found it in the woods," said Digit.

"You can understand her?" Sora asked.

"Of course," said Digit, "we're all Pixies, so yeah, we can understand her."

"Never mind that," said Brandon, "we've got to find Aisha."

"We should have realized that she was missing," said Tess in a worried tone, "she's not exactly feeling very strong at heart right now."

"And being alone somewhere will only make her feel worse," said Bloom, "Lockette, can you use your special talent to find Aisha."

"I can try," said Lockette as she held up her key-like staff. She then closed her eyes in concentration as her key acted like a dowsing rod, "she's that way!" she said triumphantly.

They all walked in the direction Lockette indicated. They soon found themselves at yet another cliff, this one giving them an impressive view of the Wildlands.

Piff said something incoherent, yet her tone said that she was worried about Aisha.

"Don't worry, Piff," said Bloom in an assuring tone, "we'll find Aisha."

"Of course," said Timmy, "we have to find her, but we also have to get ready for the next move The Trix makes."

"We'll have to set up a base camp somewhere," said Sky, "I'm open to suggestions."

"You're asking Timmy for ideas?" Tecna asked, "you're better off asking a baboon."

"Hey, that's not fair!" said Riven.

"Oh, and you're one to stand up for someone else's feelings," said Tecna.

"She's still affected by the discord spell," said Kairi.

"Is it that obvious?" Aiden asked.

"You really ought to give Timmy some slack, Tecna," said Riven, "he's our chief tactical coordinator, for offense and defense."

"He's the best at Red Fountain," said Brandon, "no question about it."

"Yeah right," said Tecna stubbornly.

"Whatever you believe about me, Tecna," said Timmy, "I know what I'm doing. Okay then, Bloom, this next part will be dangerous for the Pixies and they won't be able to help us, so take care of them with you to find Aisha."

"I'll go with you," said Tess, "I may not be all that good at finding things, but at least I can watch your backs."

"And of course Digit can come," said Tecna in a sarcastic tone, "this is Timmy's plan after all."

"Oh for crying out loud," said Elise, "do I have to smack you again?"

"You do that and I'll smack you back!" snapped Tecna.

"I'll smack you both if you don't stop fighting!" said Carmen.

"Just go find Aisha," said Stella.

"And please be careful," said Flora.

"I wouldn't be alive today if I weren't careful," said Tess.

"Same with me," said Bloom. But then she fell off of the edge of the cliff, only to catch herself on a small ledge below, "I'm okay!" she shouted from below. This caused everyone to sigh with relief.

"And she's supposed to be destined for great things," said Morgan, "we're all doomed."

"We're only doomed if we give up," said Tess as she climbed down to Bloom and with that they and the Pixies went off to find Aisha.

"Just where did you find that girl, Riku?" Morgan asked.

"It's a long story," said Riku.

"Oh well," said Stella, "the rest is up to us."

"Then there's no time to waste," said Aiden as he pressed his wrists, "alright, let's do it!"

With that they all got to work on Timmy's plan. The first part had them gathering fallen trees from the woods, Flora insisted that they refrain from cutting down any live trees. Once gathered, Timmy had Sky, Brandon, Riven, Sora and Riku, cutting the branches off to make the trees into logs.

They then began assembling the logs into a structure of some sorts that Sora couldn't make heads or tails of, "just what is this thing supposed to be?" he asked.

"Something that'll bring Icy, Darcy and Stormy down from their high horses," said Timmy, "Sky, you and the others make sure all the logs for the roof have notches in them. And I want to double check Riven's trap designs."

Meanwhile, Musa and Stella had transformed and using their Charmix-enhanced powers, had dug a ditch leading to a nearby stream and were forming a dam out of rocks.

"At this rate," said Stella as she and Musa levitated more rocks onto the dam, "we'll be totally exhausted and in no shape to fight The Trix, even with our Charmix."

"Just a few more," said Musa, "we're almost done!"

They levitated the last few rocks into place. Almost immediately they powered down and sighed with exhaustion.

"You did great, girls," said Timmy in a reassuring tone. He then saw that the wooden building was almost done, "we're all doing great. Pretty soon, some very unpleasant witches will be in for a surprise they'll never forget."

"I still don't get what this plan is supposed to be," said Kairi as she helped Flora and Tecna weave a large net out of grass.

"I trust Timmy enough," said Flora, "but things would go must faster if I had my Charmix."

"Patience is a virtue, Flora," said Tecna.

"So is trust," said Kairi, "I know your faith in Timmy has been shaken, but is one incident really all that it takes to ruin such a great friendship?"

"You weren't there when he failed at the moment of truth," said Tecna.

"Well maybe you should try to see how he feels about the whole thing," said Kairi, "maybe if you try a little empathy, just try to see into his heart, you'd feel better about it yourself."

"Empathy?" Tecna asked.

"It means understanding other people's feelings," said Flora.

"I know what it means," said Tecna in an annoyed tone, "I just…it's just that…"

"You really don't get it, do you," said Kairi, "not everything is based on solid facts and logic. Just try to open your heart and you'll see, trust me."

Meanwhile, Sky and Brandon had gathered a large pile of fruit together. With her powers recharged enough for a spell, Musa cast one around the fruit, while Stella cast another on the pile.

"That's a really advanced spell you used, Stella," said an impressed Flora, "looks like you did pay attention in Griselda's class."

"Oh not at all," said Stella in a nonchalant tone, "I'm just naturally brilliant."

"Then why did you blow up the potion's lab in your first year at Alfea?" Morgan asked mischievously.

"She blew up the potions lab?" Aiden asked.

"I wish people would stop bringing that up," said an annoyed Stella.

"It's the highlight of your first year," said Elise, "you got Griselda so ticked off, she insisted to Faragonda that you be expelled, but Faragonda managed to have you only repeat the year. On the other hand, if it weren't for that, you wouldn't have met Bloom and later formed The Winx."

"Well, when you put it that way," said Stella, "I guess it's a good thing I blew up the potions' lab."

"But why did you do it in the first place?" Aiden asked.

At that Stella sighed with annoyance, "I was only trying to make a new color. The whole thing was an accident, and I'll thank you, Aiden Mackenzie, if you never bring it up again."

"Well _excuse _me, princess," said Aiden, "I was only asking."

"Then stop bugging her about it," said Brandon as he loaded some of the enchanted fruit into a knapsack.

"Musa, do you have enough Charmix power for a short flight?" Timmy asked.

"I think so," said Musa, "just tell me what you want me to do."

* * *

"Shouldn't Bloom and Tess be back with Aisha by now?" Stella asked.

"They're still out looking," said Flora, "I hope Aisha's not hurt."

"Wait!" said Tess as she, Bloom and the Pixies, followed the direction Lockette indicated, "there's fog ahead!"

Indeed there was a fogbank right in their way, "what's so bad about a little fog?"

"The last time my friends and I were in some fog," said Tess, "we wound up fighting a bunch of Jiang Shi, Chinese Hopping Vampires."

"Kairi did say that you all fought a plague of Wamphyri," said Bloom, "were they really that bad?"

"Worse," said Tess, "they could have turned everyone in The Realms of Light into mindless Thralls, and their queen, Zerlina, she was the worst of them all. But we had a lot of help and we managed to vanquish them all. We even managed to save one Wamphyri Lieutenant, Aiden somehow resurrected her humanity, and thanks to Aiden's antidote, our universe is well on its way to being vaccinated against The Wamphyri, forever."

"I've never met any vampires before," said Bloom.

"Not all of them are pure evil like Zerlina was," said Tess, "we met a few who were quite good, very good. If only some of the creatures we ran into were as nice. The absolute worse were The Daleks."

"For me the worst was The Cybermen," said Bloom, "the wanted to use fairy magic as an energy source so they could conquer The Magic Dimension and turn everyone into more Cybermen."

"Daleks just kill," said Tess, "it's all they know how to do, kill and destroy. But we destroyed them, at least I hope we did. If there's one thing Daleks are better at than killing, it's surviving."

"Well I know that The Cybermen are gone for good," said Bloom, "I destroyed the last one myself."

"Good for you," said Tess, "oh, the fog is gone."

"Then let's find Aisha," said Bloom, "I feel like she really needs us." With that they and the pixies hurried along the trail.

* * *

Timmy told Musa to scout out for The Trix. Within a few minutes, Musa had found the three evil witches and concealed herself in a tree, watching and listening in on the dark trio.

"I'd say we've got enough monsters to finish off those fools," said Darcy as she and her sisters sat atop the rhino-monsters.

"We'll hit them like a hurricane," said an eager Stormy, "and blast them into oblivion!"

"Stay focused, little sister," Icy insisted, "capturing Bloom is our top priority. And remember to keep our big, bad friends here away from water," she affectionately patted her rhino-monster, "they don't seem to like water very much. Let's get this over with!" with that she and her sisters, along with their assembled monsters, headed out, with Musa following them.

* * *

"When we get back to civilization," said Stella as she and the others used makeshift shovels to widen and deepen the trench, resulting in everyone being covered in dirt, "I'm going to take a long, hot bubble bath."

"Take a shower first," said Carmen as she wiped sweat off of her forehead, "or else you'll be soaking in your own filth."

"I knew that," said Stella.

"Alright, everyone," said Timmy, "that should do it."

"Do what, Timmy?" Tecna asked, "this plan of yours is illogical. This whole situation is illogical! Darkar is after the Codex, not us, so why would The Trix come after us after all?"

"I have my suspicions," said Riku, "my best guess is to settle old grudges."

"If that's the case," said Carmen as she cracked her knuckles, "I'll be sure to give Icy a fight she'll never forget. I may not have my powers right now, but I can still throw a decent punch. I learned how to handle myself in a fight back home."

"Let's hope your home is still there," said Morgan.

"What are you talking about?" Sora asked.

"I'll tell you later, pretty boy," said Carmen.

Just then Musa flew over to them, "everyone!" she frantically shouted, "The Trix and the monsters are on their way!" she then powered down to her normal attire, "it turns out they're after Bloom!"

"What!" exclaimed everyone.

"Why are they after Bloom?" Stella asked, "what did she do to them this time?"

"I don't know," said Musa, "I didn't hear them say why."

"If they want Bloom," said Sky as he readied his energy sword, "then they'll have to get past me first!"

"Same with us!" said Sora, while Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Brandon, Riven, Timmy, Flora, Stella and Tecna nodded in agreement.

"And us," said Carmen, "Elise," she held our her left hand, "I'll need your Athame."

"Why are you asking for hers?" Morgan asked, "don't you have yours?"

"I didn't bring mine because we are supposed to be on vacation," said Carmen, "and I know you forgot yours. Elise always has her Athame with her."

"But it won't work," said Elise as she pulled out a small knife with a wooden handle and a blade inscribed with runes, "you won't be able to use it to cast any spells."

"I know," said Carmen as Elise handed her the knife, "I'm just going to use it to cut Icy's frozen heart out. It's time we ended this!"

Just then the ground shook as the Trix, on their rhino mounts and their army of enthralled monsters, charged into the area, "here they come!" shouted Musa.

"Remember the plan, everyone!" shouted Timmy, "Get into your positions!" with that everyone ran to various hiding places, while Timmy grabbed Tecna's hand and they both ran for the wooden structure.

Timmy climbed onto the roof of the structure and held out his had for Tecna. She hesitated for a second before she grabbed his hand and he pulled her up. Within seconds, everyone was either concealed behind trees, bushes or rocks, with Timmy standing atop the wooden building. "Get ready to take out the dam!" he shouted.

By then The Trix had lead their enthralled army into the trench and were heading for the wooden building, "take a look," said Stormy as she pointed at the construct, "what a cute little cabin. Let's trample it!"

"It'll be a good warm up before the final attack," said Darcy.

"Alright," said Icy, "but make it quick!"

At the same time, Flora, Stella, Musa, Morgan and Kairi were at the dam trying to undo enough of it for the water pressure to burst through, "this is taking too long," said Flora as she and the others moved the rocks one at a time, "it's not going to work!"

"Enough is enough!" said a frustrated Stella, "I'm no roadie, I'm a fairy! Magic Winx!"

With a flash of golden light, she had resumed her fairy form with Charmix accessories.

"No, not yet, Stella!" shouted Timmy, but Stella ignored him. She flew at the rhino-monsters and tried to blind one of them, yet her spell merely bounced off of the lumbering monster.

"You're only wasting your magic like this, Stella!" shouted Timmy, "Musa, use your powers to make a sound wave!"

"You sure?" Musa asked.

"Absolutely," said Timmy, "go for it!"

"Aright!" said Musa, "Magic Winx!"

With a flash of disco lights, Musa had assumed her fairy form with Charmix accessories. She then cast a spell that produced an enormous sonic pulse on the water, forcing it to break the dam and flood the trench, with Flora, Morgan and Kairi just barely avoiding drowning themselves.

The Trix weren't as lucky. Caught completely by surprised, Icy, Darcy and Stormy were swept off of the rhinos and carried away by the irresistible power of the wave. With Darcy's concentration broken, the enthralled monsters were freed of her control and walked way.

The completely soaked Trix pulled themselves out of the trench, now a canal. "Well, this sucks," said Stormy.

"It'll be worse for those who did this to us!" snapped Icy.

"Hey! Our rides are escaping!" said Darcy. She then cast another whammy on the three rhino monsters, "get back here, you big galoots!" with that the three rhino monsters were enthralled again and returned to their mistresses.

"We're getting closer!" said Lockette as she, her fellow Pixies, Bloom and Tess, reached a large valley in the forest, "Aisha is somewhere down there."

"Well, I can say one good thing about this fiasco of a vacation," said Tess as they carefully made their way down to the valley floor, "no Daleks."

"Or Cybermen," said Bloom, "or Heartless."

"Or Nobodies," said Tess, "and The Trix aren't that tough. I bet that, at full power, I could take them on all by myself."

Just then The Trix all sneezed at the same time, which had nothing to do with their being soaked in cold water.

"I hate it when people talk behind our backs," said Stormy.

Our heroes' cheered at the soaking of The Trix and the scattering of the monsters, "hey, I just realized something," said Stella, "the Trix were looking for Bloom, but she's not here, so we're safe, right?"

"I hate to say you're wrong, Stella," said Brandon as he looked up, "but you are wrong."

Just then a flying scorpion swooped down at Stella, barely missing her by inches.

* * *

"Wait, what's that?" Tess asked as she looked up. There in the air was Aisha, in her fairy form, with two new accessories. On her top was a leaf-shaped pin with two pink stones, as well as a fuchsia colored purse at her hip in the shape of a water gourd.

"Aisha!" shouted both Bloom and Tess. The princess of Andros landed near them and was swarmed by the pixies, all of them telling her how happy and relieved they were that she was alright.

"So you did get your Charmix," said Bloom.

"How'd that happen?" Tess asked.

"It's quite a story actually," said Aisha, "when we were running from the monsters, I hesitated too long and was chased by a troll. I wound up at the edge of the valley and tripped it over the ledge, but I also fell down. I wasn't hurt but I then realized that I was all alone."

"Gracious!" said Tune, "what ever did you do then?"

"I tried to find my way back to the others," said Aisha, "But I just couldn't find a way out. I eventually found this cave, thinking that everyone was in it, but all that I got was another fall into a deeper part of the cave, one with an underground lake. There was a hole in the ceiling but it was too high for me to get to.

"So there I was, all alone and feeling very sorry for myself, when suddenly I thought of Musa and was worried that she was in danger. I then felt this surge of energy and I found that I had my Charmix."

"Oh, I get it," said Digit, "empathy, that certainly computes. She stopped thinking of herself and her feelings for Musa," she looked at Tess, "who happens to be her best friend at Alfea, allowed Aisha's powers to evolve."

"That was totally awesome!" said Chatta.

"We're all very happy for you," said Amore, while Piff babbled her congratulations to Aisha.

"Oh, thanks, everyone," said Aisha, "but what about the others?"

"In trouble if my hunch is right," said Tess, "and sometimes, I hate when I'm right."

"Don't we all," said Bloom, "lets get back to our friends!"

* * *

Stella barely missed another diving attack from the flying scorpion, only to have another swoop down and grab her in it's claws. It carried her into the air, with her screaming in terror.

"Ha!" said Icy, "that'll keep the brats busy while we try to find Bloom!" with that she, Darcy and Stormy flew off.

Meanwhile, Brandon had jumped onto the flying scorpion, trying to get it to land and release the still screaming in terror Stella, but it only flew higher and tried to shake him off.

Back on the ground, Sora, Riku, Aiden, Kairi, Sky and Riven were fending off the monsters hand to hand, while Timmy was shooting the creatures with his blasters, "The charmed fruits, Brandon!" shouted Timmy as he looked up, "use the charmed fruits!"

"Oh right!" said Brandon as he remembered that he still had the knapsack. He then took one of the fruits and shoved it into the mouth of the flying scorpion and made it swallow the fruit. Almost instantly it took effect and the creature's eyes flashed. It then began heading for the ground.

"Unbelievable," said Brandon, "the dispelling charm actually worked."

"That goes to show you never to underestimate fairy magic," said Stella as she creature released her. She held onto its claws as it got close enough to the ground. She let go and landed on her feet, but was still going to fast and wound up falling on her face. But she looked up and smiled at Brandon, who waved back as the flying scorpion, which had seemed to accept him as a passenger, turned around.

The Trix, meanwhile, had gotten back on their rhino mounts.

"Where did those brats hide Bloom?" Icy asked irately, "we can't go back to Shadowhaunt and Lord Darkar without her!"

"Hey, you witches!" shouted Timmy as he stood by the wooden structure, "you want Bloom? Come and get her!"

"Are you nuts, Timmy?" Tecna asked.

"Probably," said Timmy. He then ran from the building, "but I'm nuts with a plan!"

"I'll bet she's in that little log cabin," said Icy, "we'll rush it and force Bloom out!"

"Wait," said a viciously smiling Stormy as she pointed at Timmy, "let's squash that little worm."

"It's the nerd who couldn't shoot us that one time," said Darcy, "we let him off easy back then."

"But not this time," said Icy. She then slapped her rhino mount, "move, you lummox! Trample that coward!"

* * *

**…Shadowhaunt…**

"What are they doing!" Darkar exclaimed as he observed The Trix chasing after Timmy, "Can't they see that they're being lead into a trap?"

"It's not their fault," said Xehanort, "it's in their nature to be such insidious bullies. Any chance to abuse the weak and helpless is one they simply cannot refuse."

"Which makes them weak in turn," said Sephiroth, "they lack restraint. That and other factors will lead to their downfall."

"In which case you shall go to the Wildlands!" snapped Darkar, "you have been a guest in my house long enough, one-winged angel! If you wish to remain in my presence, then you shall pull your weight. If The Trix fail, then you shall bring me Bloom!"

"I don't take orders from you!" said Sephiroth as he placed his hand on the handle of Masamune, "I take orders from no one! I only work with Xehanort out of mutual benefit."

"True," said Xehanort, "but in this case, my friend, it would benefit the both of us to remain in Lord Darkar's good graces." He then walked closer to Sephiroth, "besides," he whispered, "you can use the situation to distract Darkar long enough for me to gather a little information. You don't have to capture the girl."

"I see," said Sephiroth, "and I would have an excuse. My powers would also be reduced by the Wildlands."

"Then we understand each other," said Xehanort. He then spoke to Darkar, "but, we should still have faith in the witches. They have their faults, but one cannot doubt their tenacity."

"Indeed," said Darkar, "I shall endure their needs for tormenting those around them, for now."

"And I shall endure your hubris for as long as necessary," said Xehanort to himself, "you shall far, my lord, and I shall rise in your place. The Ultimate Power shall be mine and mine alone!"

* * *

**...The Wildlands...**

"Am I the only one who thinks we're lost?" Tess asked as she, Bloom, Aisha and the pixies, made their way through a field of strange fungi that was puffing sparkly but seemingly harmless spores into the air.

"We're not lost," said Bloom, "we're just taking a more roundabout route to get back to the others."

Just then they heard a commotion from up ahead, "uh-oh!" said Chatta, "sounds like they're fighting!" She then looked down at the spore-spewing fungi, "Oh, I love these mushrooms! They taste so good!" she then flew down and got spores sprayed into her face, causing her to sneeze.

The other pixies were also sprayed with spores, causing them to sneeze as well.

"They are tasty," said Aisha, "but pixies are allergic to their spores."

"Could have fooled me," said Tess.

* * *

"Timmy, you idiot!" shouted Techa, "Get out of the way! You'll be killed!"

"Not a chance!" said Timmy as he ran from the stampeding rhinos and their dark riders, "everything will be alright, as long as Sky is ready! You ready, Sky?"

"Ready, willing and able!" shouted Sky as he stood on a circular hover board. He then zoomed towards The Trix, narrowly missing Stormy's head.

"Alright, Trix," said Sky as he activated his energy sword, "shall we dance?"

"Now I'm pissed!' shouted Stormy as she shot a bolt of dark lighting at Sky. He dodged it, then dodged more dark lighting bolts.

"What are you doing?" Darcy asked, "you're wasting your magic!"

"That little twerp!" snapped Stormy, "I'll vaporize him!" she shot more bolts at sky and he kept dodging, then shot towards Stormy and again missed hitting her head.

"Okay, Timmy!" shouted Sky, "I think I've gotten riled up enough!"

"You ain't kidding!" shouted Timmy as The Trix started chasing him again.

Sky then swooped down and smacked his sword on the head of Stormy's rhino, hitting it right between the eyes and knocking it out. It collapsed to the ground. Enraged, Stormy jumped off and took flight, "you'll have to do better than that to stop us!" she shouted as she chased after Sky, while Icy and Darcy kept chasing after Timmy.

"What's wrong, tiger ladies?" he taunted, "tired already?"

"We'll show you tired!" exclaimed Icy, "run him down!"

"Charge!" shouted Darcy, unaware that her rhino was running headlong into a coil of rope that Brandon and Riku had ready as they stood behind separate trees. They pulled the rope taught and tripped the rhino, causing Darcy to fall off its head and land hard on her rear. Stormy landed next to her to help her sister up.

"Now, Riven!" shouted Timmy. Riven then cut a rope that was bending a stick of bamboo back. The stick sprang up, releasing a net that ensnared Darcy, Stormy and the fallen rhino.

"I hate you, Riven!" snapped Darcy as she and Stormy tried to get free of the net, "I'm so over you!" She then blasted the net and took flight along with Stormy.

"Enough's enough!" said Icy, "onward, my trusty steed! Let's trample them all into dust!"

"Watch out!" shouted both Tecna and Musa as Timmy lead Icy and her sisters towards the wooden building.

"Okay, it's time for the final act!" Timmy shouted. Musa and Tecna ran out of the way, just as Timmy ran up to the building and jumped onto the roof. He then jumped down just as Icy made her rhino jump onto the room. Weakened by the notches Riven and the others made, the roof collapsed, taking Icy and the rhino with it inside the building's walls.

"This is really starting to grind my gears," said Icy as she picked herself off, "where's Bloom?"

"Where you'll never find her!" said Sky as he and Timmy jumped into the room.

"And here in this realm you're magic is weak," said Timmy as he aimed his blaster at Icy, while Sky readied his sword.

"Surrender, Icy," said Sky, "you can't beat us both!"

"But you're outnumbered," said Icy as her sisters landed beside her, all three of them laughing cruelly.

Just then Carmen jumped into the room, shouting in fury as she tackled Icy to the ground, "the odds are even now, bitch!" she shouted as she pulled out the athame and head it above Icy.

The frosty witch struggled to get away from Carmen, forcing the knife away from her, "I see that your leg is much better, Carmen," she said as she and the other witch grappled.

"It'll be a lot better once I've cut your heart out!" snapped Carmen as she tried to stab Icy, but the other witch kept resisting her, "I'm going to send you to hell where you belong!"

"Why are you so eager to kill me?" Icy demanded.

"Because you piss me off so much!" exclaimed Carmen, "you're evil!"

"And you're not?" Icy asked as she got away from Carmen and

"I'm awesomely bad," said Carmen as she gripped the knife harder, "there's a difference."

"Is there?" Icy taunted.

"Oh shut up and die!" shouted Carmen. She lunged at Icy, but Darcy blasted her, knocking her to the ground and dropping the knife.

"Pathetic as always," said Darcy, only to have a rock hit her on the head, a rock thrown by Elise.

"And you're a freaking psychopath!" shouted Elise, while Morgan threw a rock at Stormy, hitting the evil witch in the eye and knocking her to the ground.

"Now you've got a black eye, you goat sucking whore!" shouted Morgan, "payback is awesome!"

"So's revenge!" shouted Stormy as she stood up, clutching at her eye, while Darcy stood up, rubbing at her head, where a lump was forming. "We've still got our powers, while you all are as weak as mortals!"

"Looks like I get to be the hero after all," said Timmy.

"Some hero you are," said Darcy.

"Let's finish them all off with one combined attack" said Icy as she and her sisters advanced towards the two specialists, "they won't stand a chance."

"Careful, Timmy," said Sky, "one false move and it's game over."

"Truer words couldn't be said," remarked Darcy.

"Once a coward, always a coward," said Stormy.

"It's over," said a viciously smiling Icy.

"Not this year!" shouted Kairi as she, Sora, Riku and Aiden rushed over with their Keyblades ready.

"Well, isn't this quite the reunion," said Icy as she glared at Sora and the others, "nearly everyone we hate is all together."

"We'll get to finish off you meddling brats as well," said Stormy.

"You're the one who's finished!" shouted Riku, "how much longer can you use your magic before it's exhausted?"

"Equivalent exchange applies to evil as well as good," said Aiden.

"We're beyond some stupid Alchemy law," said Darcy, "don't bother introducing yourself, it won't matter."

"You all are done for!" the three dark witches said at the same time.

"That'll be the day," said Aiden, "you ugly tramps!"

At that the three Trix looked like they had been slapped in the face.

"What…what did you call us?" an outraged Darcy asked.

"I called you ugly tramps!" said Aiden, "because that's what you are; ugly and sluttish!"

"They are sluttish," said Kairi, "and really overdressed."

"Damn it! We're not over dressed!" spat Icy.

"And we're not sluttish!" said Darcy.

"And the hell are we ugly!" said Stormy.

"Well, compared to two amazingly fantastic young ladies that I know," said Aiden as he smiled confidently, "the three of you look like you all took a nosedive from the top of an ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down."

"That does it!" shouted an outraged Icy, "you're going to die first, alchemist boy!"

Just then Sora looked up and smiled, "I don't think so," he said happily.

Confused, The Trix looked up and saw a large hover ship approaching the area.

"What is that thing?" Stormy asked, just as a port opened in the ship, revealing a twin-barreled energy cannon that blasted The Trix, knocking them clear of the ruined building without harming the others.

"That's a Red Fountain ship," said Riku, "but who's flying it?"

"I'll bet I know," said Sky, "Helia."

"Who?" Sora asked as the Red Fountain cruiser landed, while Stella and the others ran over.

"Professor Saladin's grandson," said Brandon. "He's a bit of a pacifists, but he's cool."

The ship hatch opened up and from it emerged a boy in his late teens dressed in a Red Fountain uniform. He was tall with medium skin tone and long, dark blue hair down to his shoulders.

"Hey, guys," said Helia, "sorry I'm late, but I had to make a little detour. Luckily I got Timmy's message and got the ship ready."

"Timmy called you?" Techna asked, "wait, where is Timmy?"

They found him half buried in the rubble of the building. "Timmy! No!" shouted Tecna as she ran over and furiously pulled the logs off of him. She was soon joined by the others.

"Hold it right there!" snapped Icy as she, Darcy and Stormy stood in front of our heroes, "no one is doing anything!"

"Either tell us where Bloom is or someone dies!" said Darcy.

"I'm thinking about taking out the nerd first," said Stormy as she eyed Timmy.

"Haven't you idiots been through enough for one day?" Riven asked.

"The day isn't over yet," said Icy, "now tell us where Bloom is?"

"Why do you want her so much?" Sky asked.

"It's Darkar who wants her," said Darcy, "that's all you need to know."

"Well we don't know where she is," said Kairi, "and even if we did know we wouldn't tell you, you horrible, horrible witches!"

"In that case," said Icy, "you losers are of no use to us."

"Say goodbye to the nerd!" said Stormy as she aimed her hand at Timmy, but instead of shooting a bolt of dark lightning, all that came from her hand was a few feeble sparks.

"What the…?" Stormy exclaimed as she tried again to blast Timmy, yet only shot sparks. Both Icy and Darcy tried to blast Timmy yet their spells failed as well.

At that Morgan laughed heartily, "you three are the limit! You're all out of mojo!"

"Those Gloomix couldn't keep you charged for long," said Elise, "it was only a matter of time before your energies dried up."

"How the tables have turned," said Carmen as she smiled eagerly while holding up Elise's athame.

"Looks like you and your sisters have two choices, Icy," said Sora, "give up or get out of here." At that the others nodded in agreement, while Riven, Riku, Aiden and Musa, cracked their knuckles.

"I think now's a good time to use an emergency teleportation spell," said Darcy in a slightly nervous tone.

"Good idea," said Stormy.

"You bastards may have won this round," said Icy, "but we'll be back!" with that she, Darcy and Stormy teleported out.

"I really hate those three," said Carmen.

"We've got other things to worry about," said Brandon, With that everyone cleared the rubble from Timmy, just as he regained consciousness.

"I'm fine," said Timmy as he stood up, then sat down from a sudden bout of dizziness.

"He'll be alright," said Stella to Kairi, who was noticing that Flora was blushing, just as Helia was passing her as she avoided looking at him.

"What's with her?" Aiden asked.

"Let's just say that things haven't been the same for our friend since Helia showed up," said Musa in a hushed tone.

"Flora fancies him," said Stella, causing Flora to blush even harder.

"I'm sorry, Tecna," siad Timmy as he sat on some logs, "I guess I let you down again. You know me, right."

"I thought I did," said Tecna, "but I was wrong. You're no coward, you were amazing. I was just too stupid and blind by my own feelings to see it."

"You mean it?" Timmy asked, "I didn't do anything that special. Riven designed the traps and the others did most of the work."

"But you made it all happen," said Tecna, "I was too blinded by surface data to see the real you."

"Wait, are you crying?" Timmy asked.

"Only because I realize how big a fool I was," said Tecna, "I really didn't like not liking you."

"You do realize how illogical what you just said was, right?" Timmy asked.

At that they both laughed.

Just then a triangle-shaped in with a green stone set in it appeared on Tecna's shirt, then vanished.

"Well, isn't that something," said Elise.

Just then Bloom, Aisha, Tess and the Pixies walked up, "Hey, everyone!" Bloom shouted, "we're back, safe and sound."

"You won't believe what kind of adventure we just had," said Sora.

"Right back at you," said Tess.

* * *

**…Shadowhaunt…**

"Imbeciles!" spat Darkar as The Trix knelt before him, "incompetent fools, all of you! I gave you a simple task and you failed miserably!"

"It's not our fault!" Icy protested.

"They tricked us," said Darcy.

"A lot," said Stormy, "we did our best. You should have given us more magic to work with."

"You had all that you needed!" said Darkar, "but instead of using your powers to capture Bloom, you squandered your magic on pointless endeavors! You wasted your magic."

"Then give us some more and we'll go back!" said Icy, "we'll get them to tell us where Bloom is."

"You're too late," said Darkar as he summoned an image of our heroes and allies, talking with Bloom, Aisha and Tess, "she has already rejoined her friends."

"Then let's go get her!" said Darcy, "now, while they're still in the Wildlands!"

"And suffer another humiliating failure?" Xehanort asked, "I think you three have had your faces rubbed in the dirt enough for one day."

"Mind your own business, old man!" snapped Stormy.

"It is my business," said Xehanort, "Lord Darkar and I have a mutual understanding and an agreement. We both want something in The Realm of Realix and Bloom is essential to unlocking that world between worlds."

"If I may point out," said Sephiroth, "nearly all of The Winx have evolved their powers, while Bloom has yet to unleash her Charmix. If you three witches were to try and take her, anything could happen, including you three being burned alive."

At that Darcy gulped nervously, "I'd rather not be burned alive, thank you."

"Me neither," said a visibly sweating Icy.

"In that case," said Sephiroth, "I shall be the one to capture the wayward girl."

"You?" Stormy asked, "what makes you think you can do it?"

"Because I do not underestimate my enemies," said Sephiroth. He then looked at Xehanort and Darkar, 'with your permission."

"Granted," said Xehanort, "go and return with Bloom."

"Alive and unharmed," Darkar insisted.

"Consider it done," said Sephiroth. With that he Gated out.

"What makes you think that he can do it?" Icy asked Darkar.

"He has yet to disappoint me," said Darkar, "and that carries a lot of weight."

"Plus got a big sword," said Darcy.

"And he's good looking," said Stormy. With that the three witches and Darkar watched the image of our heroes and allies, while Xehanort quietly slipped away from the room.

* * *

**...The Wildlands...**

Just then a Gate opened up in the air and Sephiroth landed on the ground a few yards from our heroes and allies.

"Oh crap!" said a shocked Sora.

"Now what?" Sky asked.

"Who's that guy?" Aisha asked.

"Someone I hoped I'd never see again," said Sora.

"Hello, Sora," said Sephiroth as the one-winged angel walked towards the group, "it has been a while."

"Not long enough," said Sora.

"Just who is this guy with the big sword?" Morgan asked.

"A really evil man," said Kairi.

"I do not believe we've had the pleasure, Princess Kairi," said Sephiroth.

"Your reputation speaks for itself," said Riku, "you thought you could become a god and wound up murdering a lot of innocent people!"

"And you nearly killed Aerith!" said Sora, "if Cloud hadn't gotten her to a doctor in time, she would have died."

"She was in the way," said Sephiroth, "but I have not come to discuss the past, Sora, or of my own philosophy."

"Your own insanity, you mean," said Elise, "I've also heard of you, one-winged angel. You're freaking nuts!"

"If you think that I am mad," said Sephiroth, "then you truly have no idea what madness is. But enough of that, I'm here for one thing and one thing only," he pointed at Bloom, "Lord Darkar desires your presence, Bloom of Domino."

"What?" Bloom asked.

"Oh, right," said Stella, "we didn't tell you. The Trix did all of this in order to capture you and bring you to Shadowhaunt."

"Why?" Bloom asked, "why does Darkar want me?"

"He has his reasons," said Sephiroth, "all you need to concern yourself with is that he desires you and I intend to deliver."

"So you've allied yourself with Darkar?" Riku asked.

"Far from it," said Sephiroth, "I serve no one, but I do have a mutual understanding with Master Xehanort, whom also has a mutual understanding with Lord Darkar."

"So it's Xehanort that you're working for," said Tess.

"Who's Xehanort?" Riven asked.

"Another evil jerk," said Aiden, "long story."

"Since when have you been working with Xehanort?" Kairi asked.

"Long enough to set events in motion that will change things in The Realms of Light for the worse," said Sephiroth, "now, Bloom of Domino, will you come quietly? Or shall I take you to Lord Darkar by force?"

"You want Bloom!" Sky shouted as he activated his energy sword again, "Come and get her!"

At that Sephiroth smiled wickedly as he drew Masamune and assuming a fighting stance, "I was hoping you would say that."

"Watch out!" said Sora as he, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess, summoned their Keyblades, "he's really fast and strong!"

"But his powers are also weakened by the Wildlands," said Riku, "he can't use his strongest attacks."

"I am fully aware of that," said Sephiroth, "in which case we shall duel on skill and skill alone!" with that he rushed at Sky, who barely got his sword up in time to block Masamune, only to be forced back again and again by Sephiroth's vicious attacks that were almost too fast for him to see.

"Not bad, boy," said Sephiroth, "but not good enough!" he then seemed to vanish, only to appear behind Sky and hit him on the head with the flat of Masamune, knocking Sky to the ground.

"Sky!" shouted Bloom.

"That's it!" shouted Brandon, "this jerk is going down!"

"Get him!" shouted Riven as he and Brandon rushed at Sephiroth. Just before they reached him, the one-winged angel vanished. Brandon and Riven overbalanced and tripped, then were hit on the head by Sephiroth.

"I'll get him!" shouted Timmy as he aimed and shot his blaster at Sephiroth, but the one-winged angel deflected the stun bolts with Masamune, then hot one back at Timmy and knocked him out cold.

"Now stay down," said Sephiroth.

"You've still got us to deal with!" shouted Kairi as she, Tess, Aiden, Riku and Sora, stood between Sephiroth and Bloom.

"I've beaten you before, Sephiroth," said Sora, "I can do it again!"

"Not this time, Sora!" said Sephiroth. He then vanished and delivered several attacks to The Keyblade Wielders that were so fast they barely had any time to block. They were all knocked to the ground.

"We have to negate his speed!" shouted Tecna as she pulled out her pocket computer and began scanning.

"Speed isn't my only power," said Sephiroth as he advanced on Bloom.

"No!" shouted Carmen as she stood between the one-winged angel and Bloom, the athame raised and ready to taste blood, "I won't let you touch her!"

"Same goes for us!" said Flora as she, Musa, Tecna, Aisha and Stella stood with Bloom, while Elise and Morgan also joined them, as did the bonded pixies.

"You'll have to kill us all if you want to take Bloom!" shouted Aisha.

"I really don't want to die," said Stella, "but I'll fight to the bitter end to keep Bloom safe!"

"Foolish little girls," said Sephiroth, "you wish for death, then so be it!" he then raised his right hand, "Sin Harvest!" his hand then began to glow with dark energy.

"Watch out!" shouted Sora as he, Riku, Kairi, Aiden, Tess, Sky, Brandon, Riven and Timmy tried to get up, "he's going to blast you all and it's going to hurt a lot!"

"Too late, Sora!" shouted Sephiroth as his spell took effect. Around the Winx, bonded pixies and good witches appeared a swirling mass of dark energy, while around each of their heads appeared a vile glowing halo. They all cried out in pain as the spell blasted them.

Yet they didn't appear to be hurt that much, for they were all standing and, in the case of the pixies, flying.

"That didn't even hurt as much as a bee sting," said Bloom.

"More like a paper cut or two," said Carmen.

"Is that all you got, you big, evil jerk?" Chatta asked.

"He may be big and evil," said Tune, "but that's no reason to be rude."

"You really didn't think this through when you come here, did you, Sephiroth?" Sora asked as he and the others got up.

"I may not be able to use my magic," said Sephiroth, "but I'm still faster than you all! I will take Bloom!"

Just then three yellow energy wires shot out and grabbed Sephiroth by his left wrist, forcing his sword arm back. The energy wires were connected to a glove worn by Helia, who confidently smiled as he twisted his wrist, manipulating the wires into forcing Sephiroth into dropping Masamune.

"Helia!" said Flora happily, while Sora and Kairi threw their Keyblades at Sephiroth, forcing the one-winged angel away from his sword.

"I may be many things," said Helia as walked forward, "an artist, a dreamer, I even try to avoid fights," he looked at Brandon and Riven, "I know you guys call me a pacifist behind my back, but I do know when to fight."

"How incontinent," said Sephiroth, "for you that is!"

"_Sephiroth," _said Xehanort via the com link, _"I have what I need. You may withdraw at your leisure."_

"And I was just getting warmed up," said Sephiroth.

"Who ware you talking to?" Tess demanded.

"No one of importance," said Sephiroth, "regardless, I seem to find myself at a disadvantage." He then vanished and appeared next to his sword. He calmly bent down to retrieve Masamune and sheathed it.

"What are you up to now?" Sky asked.

"I'm taking my leave," said Sephiroth. He then looked at Helia, "you may know when to fight, but I know when not to fight," he then glared at all of our heroes and allies, "but do not think that you've truly won. I shall return, at a time and place of my choosing, and we shall finish this duel, and I shall win." With that he took flight and summoned a Gate, which he went through and it vanished after him.

"What the hell was that all about?" Carmen asked as she handed Elise back her athame, "first that jerk shows up to fight, then he runs away before the fight really began."

"At least he left before anyone got seriously hurt," said Bloom.

"Yeah, we showed that jerk who's boss!" cheered Chatta.

"Remember you manners, Chatta," Tune insisted.

"But we did win," said Amore.

"Did we?" Riku asked, "no, that was too easy."

"Way too easy," said Tess, "he was holding back, even with his powers limited by this realm."

"He let us win," said Sky, "but why?"

"My guess was that he was distracting us," said Timmy, "or someone else."

"Who else would he be distracting?" Riven asked.

* * *

**…Shadowhaunt…**

"What the hell was that?" Icy exclaimed as Sephiroth arrived back in the throne room, "you make all that boasting about kicking their asses but you let the losers walk all over you."

"You never even got close to Bloom," said an annoyed and dissapointed Darcy.

"Some big bad baddie you are," said Stormy in an equally annoyed and dissapointed tone.

"Indeed," said Darkar, "you, Sephiroth, have proven to be quite the disappointment. And you, Xehanort!"

"Yes?" Xehanort as he walked back into the throne room, "sorry about stepping out for a second, I had to use the bathroom. Did I miss anything?"

"You missed a lot, old man!" snapped Icy.

"Xehanort," said Darkar, "if you still wish to have access to The Realm of Realix and delve into its secrets, then you and your associate shall refrain from making utter fools of yourselves!"

"Of that we'll be certain," said Xehanort.

"Would you mind explaining to me what was so important that you had me humiliate myself?" Sephiroth asked in a hushed tone, "what was it that you had to do?"

"Shadowhaunt has many secrets of its own," said Xehanort. He then showed Sephiroth a small scanning device, "I just captured some of those secrets for later investigation."

"Why bother?" Sephiroth asked, "if you're going to obtain The Ultimate Power, then why bother with a few measly secrets?"

"That, my friend, is the secret to my success," said Xehanort, "I always take into account all eventualities. I do intend to claim The Ultimate Power, but I'm prepared to face the distinct possibility that it will be rendered beyond my reach for one reason or another. Consider this data," he held up the scanner, "as an early consolation prize."

"What are you to mumbling about?" Icy demanded.

"Nothing, my dear witch," said Xehanort as he pocketed the scanner.

* * *

**...The Wildlands...**

"Well, this has been one crappy vacation," said Morgan.

"I'm so ready to go back to school," said Stella, "and if I ever say that again, someone shoot me."

"I'd be delighted," said Morgan.

"I was joking," said Stella.

"I know," said Morgan.

"Either way," said Bloom, "things would have turned out for the worst if it weren't for Helia," she looked at Saladin's grandson, "thank you, on behalf of all of us."

"It's alright," siad Helia, "I couldn't stay away for some reason." He was looking at Flora and she was gazing back at him.

"Hey everyone!" shouted a worried Musa, "I think the Pixies are very sick!"

Indeed, all six bonded Pixies were having uncontrollable sneezing fits, "we got plastered by mushrooms spores," said Chatta.

"Why is the forest spinning?" Amore asked.

"Why do you sound like you're so far away?" Digit asked.

"I tried to heal them but it didn't work," said Bloom.

"We've got to get them back to Pixy Village," said Aisha, "their Tree of Life can cure them."

"Then let's end this vacation before something else happens," said Sky.

"But I just got here," said Helia.

"No one is making you say," said Flora as she winked at Helia, "but I've had enough."

With that everyone headed for the Red Fountain cruiser.

"You can't keep avoiding him forever, Flora," said Tecna, "sooner or later you'll have to tell him your feelings."

"I know," said Flora, "I know."

"And once again we've got another problem on our hands," said Kairi.

"At least this one won't be one where something's trying to kill us," said Sora,

"Amen to that," said Aiden.

**The end of chapter 4**

Next chapter we learn more about the past of a certain, awesomely bad witch. At the same time, an insidious fieldtrip bears bitter fruit, for more than one dark group. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	5. Chapter 5: Of War and Hospitals

Before we get started, you all should know that I've written this 'filler' chapter so that the story will fit into my usual ten chapter format. Not only will this chapter focus on the activities of some of the villains, but also go into the background of one of my original characters.

Last time found our heroes and allies cornered by one of the insidious schemes of The Trix. But much to the surprise of everyone, especially Tecna, salvation came in the form of Timmy, who's quick thinking allowed The Keyblade Wielders, Winx, Specialists and good witches to turn the tides on The Trix and force them out of The Wildlands. At the same time, Xehanort used Sephiroth as a distraction in order to steal a few secrets from Shadowhaunt. We also met the fifth Specialist, Helia, whom Flora has a major crush on. Yet victor was slightly bitter sweet as the bonded Pixies were exposed to mushroom spores that caused an allergic reaction in them, all in all causing our heroes and allies to end their mandated vacation. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 5: Of War and Hospitals**

"How are they?" Bloom asked as the Red Fountain cruiser flew across Magix.

"They've calmed down for now," said Flora, "now that we're away from The Wildlands, we've got our full powers and I was able to synthesize a antihistamine potion for the Pixies, but it'll only treat the symptoms. Those mushroom spores they inhaled are only going to make them feel worse."

The cruiser had a small room which The Winx and good witches used to change their outfits. Bloom now wore a blue and white striped shirt with little pink hearts, a denim miniskirt with over-the-knee blue socks and lace up blue high-heeled boots.

Stella now wore a green strapless dress with pink stripes along with a pink belt and shoes. Flora wore a pink midriff shirt with a pink-trim, puffy sleeves with pink polka-dots, a red skirt with maroon shorts on under her skirt, pink socks, and red platforms shoes.

Musa wore a checkered turquoise long tube top with a red belt over teal pants, which include teal wrist to elbow sleeves and aqua sneakers. Tecna had on her lavender outfit that she insisted on wearing at the beach, while Aisha wore her purple top and kaki miniskirt.

Carmen now wore a green and black shirt under a black jacket and black jeans and shoes, while Morgan wore an orange and indigo t-shirt and yellow cargo shorts and low-healed sandals and Elise wore a blue and amber shirt with a long gray and white skirt and orange shoes.

"We've got to get them to Pixy Village," said Aisha, "normal healing magic isn't as effective on Pixies as on humans. Only their Tree of Life can cure them."

"You really do know a lot about Pixies," said Kairi.

"I've been friends with them a long time," said Aisha. "I know that The Tree of Life can help them, but the sooner we get them to it, the sooner they'll be alright."

"I'm not concerned about that," Carmen, "there's something else that's been bugging me."

"Why Darkar is so interested in Bloom," said Sky.

"Why is he so hung up about me?" Bloom asked, "What did I do to him?"

"Besides from doing your best to stop The Trix from getting The Codex?" Musa asked.

"I'm also wondering why Sephiroth and Xehanort are involved," said Riku, "they're after something, and whatever it is, it won't be good."

"I'm wondering how Xehanort and Sephiroth teamed up," said Sora, "Sephiroth always acted alone before, so why is he working with Xehanort?"

"I've got a feeling that we'll find out soon enough," said Aiden.

Just then Elise' mobile beeped with an incoming message. She looked at the message and looked like she had just read something shocking, "oh blood and bloody ashes!" she exclaimed.

"What's the matter with you?" Riven asked, "you look like someone just walked over your mother's grave."

"My mother's alive, thank you very much," said an annoyed Elise, "but if she were in my shoes, or rather, Carmen's shoes, it would kill her."

"How so?" Tecna asked.

At that Sora saw that Carmen was looking very nervous, as if she was expecting very bad news, "it's not one of _those _messages I've asked you to keep watch for, right?"

"I'm afraid it is," said Elise as she handed her mobile to Carmen, "nineteen while we were on holiday."

Carmen read the message, her expression growing from fear to anger with each line she read, "Damn, damn, damn! When will those horrible idiots stop!" she then read something that left her shocked and appalled, "oh no! Not Johnny!"

"Who's Johnny?" Bloom asked.

At that Carmen looked like she wanted to talk about what was bothering her, but her own feelings were holding her back.

"You can't keep this bottled up forever, Carmen," said Elise.

"If you won't tell Bloom, Sora and the others," said Morgan, "than we will."

"No, it's alright," said Carmen, "I…I'll tell them," she then looked at The Winx, Specialists and Keyblade Wielders, "while we were on vacation and dealing with The Trix, seven people from the neighborhood on the world I grew up, were murdered, while twelve more were wounded so badly, they may as well as be dead."

"Murdered?" Bloom asked.

"That's horrible!" said Flora in a shocked tone, while Stella and the rest of the Winx looked equally shocked.

"So you've got a serial killer on the lose," said Riven said, "so what? People get killed in one way or another all the time."

"Not like this, you insensitive prick," said Carmen, "this isn't the work of a lone maniac. It's the result of two groups of irresponsible, unscrupulous and downright rotten people whom have no regard for innocent lives."

"Sounds like a long story," said Sky.

"It is," said Carmen, "so I hope you've got the ship on autopilot and have some snacks ready."

"Already on it," said Helia as he set the cruiser on autopilot, "all I've got onboard is trail mix and instant popcorn."

"That's fine," said Carmen as the snacks were passed out, "well, to start, the world I grew up on, Holicon, is right on the outer rim of The Magical Dimension," she looked at Sora, "I already told you that there's a lot of corruption and crime out on The Rim."

"You said that you want to do something about it before it gets any worse," said Sora.

"I still do," said Carmen, "but right now I'm leaning more towards retribution than towards fighting crime and corruption.

"I'm digressing, so I'll start over. Holicon used to be a big trading post and transportation hub for The Rim. People and goods on their way to other destinations in The Magical Dimension would pass through Holicon and my world enjoyed peace and prosperity.

"But as improved hyper drive and longer-ranged teleportation spells came into effect, fewer and fewer passengers and goods passed through my worlds' space ports. Eventually it came to the point that Holicon had all but fallen off the map. My world was a dieing world. More and more people lost their jobs and those still working could barely make ends meet. Those who could moved themselves and their families to other worlds in search of better lives, while those who were forced to say had to face the new norm of poverty, crime and the threat of starvation.

"That's how things were when I came along. My parents were honest, hard working folk who never crossed anyone. Pa worked as a handyman in town while Ma sold vegetables she grew in her garden. We were alright and though times were tough for everyone, my family was a happy one.

"Then my folks died when a meteor hit outside of town. We were far enough away from the impact, but the shock caused a small earthquake that collapsed our house into so much kindling and rubble. I survived with only a few scratches and bruises, but Ma and Pa were dead."

"That's horrible," said Aisha, while the other Winx, Specialists and Keyblade Wielders looked shocked.

"It's alright," said Carmen, "I've got a lot of good memories of my folks, and I like to think that their spirits are looking down on me, smiling.

"I was taken in by an old friend of Ma's and was legally adopted. My legal guardian, Sadie Mellow, she was a Cloud Tower alumni, so when I showed the predisposition for dark magic, and I showed a lot of potential by the way, Sadie wrote to Headmistress Griffin and I was given a full scholarship. I owe Sadie and Headmistress Griffin so much, not as much as another debt I owe, but that's a story for later.

"I was eight when I lost my folks, but crazy as it seemed, their deaths lead to the revival of Holicon. That meteor came from our star system's asteroid belt, and when an astral-geologist examined the meteor, it was determined to be 67% pure Kemosite."

"What's Kemosite?" Sora asked.

"A rare mineral essential in the manufacturing of starships in The Magical Dimension," said Timmy, "as well as a lot of other stuff."

"Depending on the level of refining," said Tecna, "Kemosite can be used to make just about anything, from construction materials to farming equipment."

"The new Red Fountain was made with Kemosite," said Timmy. He then looked like he just thought of something terrible, "but…"

"No Kemosite from my world was used to rebuild Red Fountain," said Carmen in an assuring tone, "hardly anyone has bought Holiconian Kemosite in recent years, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

"A survey of the asteroid belt determined that there was enough raw Kemosite, averaging between 60 to 67% purity, enough to build ten million starships. My world became a boom town as dozens of mining companies rushed to stake claims. Unemployment on my world dropped to nearly zero, mostly as miners and to supply needs for the mining. The potential for profits were so great, most of the mining companies provided free training for my people so they could mine the asteroids.

"Things were looking very bright for my world. But then about five years ago things took a huge nosedive into the darkness. Two groups rammed their way into the Holicon system. The first being The Underwood Corporation, the other being The Inglewood Family. They bought out every single mining company and took over all Kemosite operations.

"No one realized it at the time but both the corporation and the family were all a bunch of swindling, greedy and downright cruel bastards. Underwood and Inglewood used a combination of legal trickery, industrial espionage and sabotage, blackmail and bribery to run all the honest companies out of town. They stole all the assets and profits and forced all the miners into non-negotiation contracts in which they worked 12 hour shifts with minimal pay, which was reduced for all sorts of unreasonable deductions such as safety measures and insurance policies, none of which actually existed. Conditions in the mines were atrocious; mining equipment broke down and new supplies almost never got there and when they did they were either the wrong equipment or already worthless. Mine shafts collapsed or exploded, environmental suits and oxygen supplies failed, people were dieing in the mines almost every day.

"And as if this wasn't enough, Underwood and Inglewood had their 'bodyguards,' and I mean thugs, roaming the cities of my world and acting like they owned the place, stealing, blackmailing, running protection scams and gambling rackets, forced prostitution, not to mention rape and murder, and all the while the police had either been corrupted or had been replaced by more thugs."

"Good gods!" said a shocked Aiden, "why?"

"Partly because both groups enjoy inflicting pain and misery on innocent, hard working people," said Carmen, "but mostly for money. The Underwood Corporation has been accused of inside stock trading, industrial espionage and sabotage, fraud and dealing with criminal syndicates. The Inglewood Family also has connections with organized crime, as well as being accused of blackmail, kidnapping, theft, rape and murder. None of these crimes has ever been proved in a court of law, both groups having employed dirty attorneys who manipulate the law so that they get away with their misdeeds. The two groups are rotten to the core and value only one thing; money.

"Even though they've evaded justice time and time again, Inglewood and Underwood have been blackballed by nearly every good noble house and righteous corporation in The Magical Dimension, yet they still do business with the mob and those who operate outside of the law.

"Their legal trickery allowed them to have their way with my home world for years. I can't tell you how close I came to being ravaged by their thugs and nearly been victim of a racket or scam. I helped Sadie and a few other local witches set up protective wards and repelling curses that kept the worst of the thugs and scammers out of our neighborhood, but every day I pretty much lived on the edge of a knife, until I left to start at Cloud Tower. I thrived at school, especially after meeting Morgan and Elise, but that's another story.

"I got regular mail from home, telling how my friends and neighbors were coping with all the rottenness around them. I wrote back to Sadie, promising her that when I graduated, I would come back and find a way to force Underwood and Inglewood out of Holicon forever.

"But just when you thought things couldn't get worse, they did. A few months ago one of the two groups thought they'd make more money without the other group. No one is really sure which group fired the first shot, but Underwood and Inglewood are at war. Both have brought in private armies and have been fighting since. Both groups have large space stations that they've turned into fortresses, surrounded by their own private war fleets. Their ships have been fighting among the asteroid belt and nearly all the existing mines have been destroyed. Raw Kemosite isn't exactly something you want to fire a blaster cannon around. All mining on the Kemosite has shut down, not that any good person wants Kemosite from Holicon anyway.

"But the worst of the fighting has spread down to Holicon itself. Both armies are killing each other in the streets of my world, with no regard for the native life there. Every day people get shot, stabbed, blown up, and those wounded can find little help. Nearly all medical resources and doctors have been 'drafted' by one group or the other, leaving next to nothing to help the innocent victims of this stupid, stupid war.

"Sadie, in her usual brilliant, wonderful self, has helped saved hundreds of lives, both those wounded, as well as helping those caught in the crossfire to get to safe areas away from the fighting. But more and more are dieing every day. When the war spread to the world, I asked Sadie to send me a list of those from our neighborhood who died, but after a few weeks I couldn't look at the names anymore. I had Elise set things up so she would get the email and then made me read the names, all so I would be reminded of what was going on and be resolved to do something about it."

"Why hasn't someone else in The Magical Dimension done something about it?" an outraged Tess asked, Carmen's story reminding her all to well of the horrors Phobos inflicted on Metamore.

"Doesn't the rest of this universe know that innocent people are being slaughtered?" Riku asked.

"Oh, they know," said Carmen in a disgusted tone, "Underwood thought they could make money on the war by broadcasting it on a pirate, pay per view channel. People throughout The Magical Dimension are paying to watch my people die.

"But if you're wondering why no one is doing anything about it, understand, people, good people, have tried. But once again Underwood and Inglewood have used their filthy lawyers to throw up so much red tape that's preventing anyone from sending in humanitarian aid. That means no food, medical supplies or doctors are arriving to help the civilians. The two groups war fleets have also set up a blockade around the system, allowing in only reinforcements and their own supplies. Anyone trying to run the blockade to help the innocent people are blown out of the stars.

"It's gotten to the point where nothing short of an all out war could stop them, that is, if another planet declared war on Inglewood and Underwood and forced them at the point of a sword and the barrel of a blaster, then things might change, but both groups have enormous resources, rivaling that of several planets and noble families combined. Any war fought against them would cost billions in currency and millions of lives and could possibly bring ruin to entire planets. The general consensus among the leading powers in The Magical Dimension is to let Underwood and Inglewood fight until they destroy each other, at the cost of a single, backwater world."

"That's disgusting!" said an outraged Bloom, "how can anyone let this happen?"

"Because they either don't know or don't care," said Carmen in a matter of fact tone, "or are too afraid to risk their lives and fortunes for something righteous. No, no good person is going to help my people. Underwood and Inglewood are the kind of evil that can be only defeated by sheer, brutal and merciless dark magic, and I can be brutal and merciless when pushed to far. As soon as I graduate, I'll go back to Holicon and wipe bough groups out. I'll hit them so hard it'll shatter the space-time continuum and erase them from existence!"

"You'll break your hand as well," said Sky.

"It'd be worth it to stop the killing," said Carmen, "I'll do whatever it takes to save my people," she held up the mobile, "nineteen of my neighbors were either killed or mutilated this weekend alone, among them my old boyfriend."

"You had a boyfriend?" Bloom asked, "and he's…"

"He's still alive," said Carmen, "his name is Johnny, but he wishes he was dead. Yes, we dated for a while before I left for school. Johnny was willing to keep things going while I was away, but I really don't believe in long-distance relationships, and I was seriously busy with my studies.

"Johnny moved on and found another girl. They've been happy and I'm happy for them, but now, now he wants to commit suicide. One of the bastards threw an incendiary grenade into a building and Johnny was caught in the blast. He's burned almost all over his body and is blind," by now she was crying, "he was such a nice guy, always helping out with the neighbors and providing food for those who were hungry. Johnny was a saint, and now he wants to die." Her face then fell into her hands and she cried harder.

"I…" said Sora, not sure what to say.

Bloom said it for him, "it's okay," she said as she placed a comforting arm around Carmen's shoulder, "well, it's not okay, but it will be okay, somehow."

"How?" Carmen asked as she looked up, "how can I make things better? Everyone who's tried to help has been stopped in one horrible way or another. I make all these plans how I'm going to come home and save everyone, but I'm scared, scared of letting everyone down and scared of dieing myself. And before you say anything, Morgan, I know you and Elise promised to help, but it's hopeless, the whole thing."

"Nothing's hopeless!" Bloom insisted, "if you truly wish to save your people, then I'll help you."

"You will?" Carmen asked, "but…"

"But nothing," said Bloom, "we're friends, Carmen, despite our differences, and friends help each other. Besides, I now have a bone to pick with Underwood and Inglewood."

"Same with me," said Sky, his voice full of righteous indignation, "they can't get away with this any more. Something has to be done."

"But what?" Stella asked, "you heard what Carmen said, both groups have all these grease ball lawyers and thugs who stop anyone from helping Holicon. And any noble family capable of fighting them is too scared to do so."

"The day anyone calls the royal family of Iraklion a house of cowards is the day hell freezes over," said Sky, "I'll talk to my parents, they'll listen, especially if you're there, Bloom."

"I doubt that," said Bloom in an uncomfortable tone, "your parents, they don't like me that much."

"You've just made the wrong impression on them," said Flora, "I'm sure that they'll like you once they've gotten to know the real you."

"I'll bet they'd declare war on the two groups if Diaspro were to suggest it," said Brandon in a sarcastic tone, "she's Eraklyons' 'Golden Girl.'"

"Isn't that your betrothed that you dumped while fighting The Heartless last year?" Riku asked.

"We broke up about ten minutes before you showed up," said Sky in a slightly uncomfortable tone, "it was a really awkward moment."

"Diaspro showed up out of the blue and demanded that Sky run away from the battle," said Timmy, "but he wouldn't have any of that."

"I couldn't abandon my fellow heroes in training and my school," said Sky, "either Diaspro was on drugs or she had lost her mind. Either way, I don't think she'd be much help this time. She still has a lot of influence on Eraklyon, but after being kidnapped and humiliated, she's retreated to her family estate and hasn't been seen since."

"Long story," said Bloom to Sora and the other Keyblade Wielders. She then looked at Carmen, "we'll find a way to help your people, somehow."

"I actually have an idea on that," said Tecna as she pulled out her computer, "Carmen, you said that both Inglewood and Underwood had vast financial resources, right?"

"Enough to keep their rotten lawyers happy and to keep their murdering armies paid," said Carmen, she then suddenly smiled wickedly, "are you pondering what I'm pondering?"

"I believe so," said Tecna, "but if it works, then they'll be rendered nearly powerless. Of course, if we get caught we could go to jail."

"You'd wish you had been sent to jail," said Morgan, "Inglewood and Underwood are seriously hardcore. You cross them, they'll kill you, then they'll go to work on you."

"They'll ruin your friends, families and anyone else associated with you," said Elise, "and that's just for starters, but, assuming I'm right about your plan, then it's absolutely brilliant."

"Just what are you talking about?" Musa asked.

"I'm talking about creating a computer virus that would destroy the financial assets of both Underwood and Inglewood," said Tecna, "the virus would freeze their bank accounts and physical assets. Without money they can't pay their dues to their investors and organized crime associates, nor will they be able to pay their lawyers and soldiers."

"They'll be ruined," said Carmen, "and without being able to enforce their will, others will be able to move in and take them down, and my world can finally get the help it needs. How soon can you unleash this cyber plague on them?"

"It may be a while," said Tecna as she began typing on her computer, "it'll have to be a very powerful computer virus, one strong enough to beat their security systems and remain undetected while it works on their financial assets. It could be months before it's ready."

"Oh, I see," said Carmen in a disappointed tone.

"But it's a start," said Bloom, "we'll think of other plans along the way."

"Sure," said Riven, "something worse than cyber terrorism."

"_Counter _terrorism you mean," said Morgan, "Inglewood and Underwood, they're the real terrorists here."

"They're going to reap the whirlwind that they so recklessly created," said Elise, "but it's going to have to wait."

"Yeah, I know," said Carmen, "Darkar. It'd be rather selfish of me to focus on saving my world, but letting the rest of The Magical Dimension be destroyed by darkness."

"Then let's make a promise," said Bloom, "we'll all help you save your world, after we defeat Darkar and The Trix," she looked at Sora and the other Keyblade Wielders, "as well as Sephiroth and Xehanort, if they're really involved."

"You mean it?" Carmen asked, her eyes brimming with hope, "you're really help me?"

"It's a promise between friends," said Bloom as she held out her hand, "as soon as we've stopped Darkar, we'll get to work on stopping Inglewood and Underwood."

"You'd better believe it," said Stella, while Sky and the rest of the fairies and Specialists nodded in agreement.

"Count us in too," said Sora, while Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess nodded in agreement, "you need us, we'll come and help."

"Face it, Carmen," said Morgan, "you're not alone in this, not any more." At that Elise nodded in agreement.

"Oh, you guys!" said Carmen, who was now shedding tears of joy. "Thank you, all of you."

Just then everyone heard the pixies sneezing again, "oh, there they go," said Flora.

"How soon until we get to Pixy Village?" Aisha asked.

"Not much longer," said Riven.

"Step on it just to be sure," said Bloom.

"I just realized something," said Sora, "we need to tell The King what's been happening."

"He needs to know that Xehanort and Sephiroth are involved," said Riku, while Sora pulled out his phone.

"And we need to find out who else is involved with Xehanort," said Kairi.

"Good idea," said Sora.

"Carmen," said Riku, "I'm just asking, but when exactly did the fighting start on your world?"

"A few months ago," said Carmen, she then grinned, "right about the time our friend Tecna here thought Professor Avalon was a creature of pure evil." At that Morgan laughed heartily.

"I said I was sorry!" exclaimed Tecna, "I apologized to Professor Avalon and Faragonda."

"What's this now?" Tess asked.

"Well, you've seen Professor Avalon," said Brandon, "he seems almost too good to be true."

"I had my suspicions from the beginning about who he really was and what his intentions were at Alfea," said Tecna, "especially on how much time he was spending with Bloom. I followed a lead and was mistaken in thinking he was evil, that his true form as a being of darkness would be revealed when three specific planets would align. These three planets were famed for aligning at times of chaos and evil, but when the planets aligned, nothing happened at Alfea, except for my looking very foolish."

"She convinced us that Professor Avalon was evil," said Stella, "and we wound up chasing after him to make him reveal his true form."

"It turned out that the prophecy that Tecna dug up was just a joke," said Aisha.

"But the three planets were no joke," said Elise, "the first shots fired in the war occurred just as the alignment happened. So there's some truth in the false prophecy."

"I admitted that I was wrong about Professor Avalon," said Tecna, "what more do you want from me?"

"Nothing," said Elise, "I just like to get a rise out of you every now and then."

"Well I don't trust Avalon that much," said Sky as he stubbornly crossed his arms.

"When are you going to stop thinking that I'm infatuated with him?" Bloom asked, "he's just helping me be the best that I can be."

"But why you?" Sky asked, "why is he so focused on helping you? Why not any other fairy at Alfea?"

"Why not Stella?" Riven asked, "heaven knows she needs a lot of help."

"Hey!" said both Stella and Musa.

"I'm just calling it as I see it," said Riven.

"Oh man," said Sora as he looked at his phone, "no reception. I can't reach The King."

"I'm not getting anything either," said Riku as he and Kairi looked at their phones.

"Can we still send an email?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah," said Sora as he saw the 4G icon, "I still got internet on my phone," he then began writing an email to The King, "I just hope that nothing else happens to make things worse."

"For us or for something else?" Aiden asked.

"Neither, I hope," said Sora.

* * *

**…the Outer Reaches of The Realms of Light…**

Doctor Insano and Dio Brando materialized on the transporter pad of a huge starship. The transporter room had a huge vacuum proof dome that allowed those coming and going to see the ship, a huge white ship easily a thousand times larger than a Highwind model Gummy Ship, with the dome about a third of the way down the spine of the enormous starship. Right in the middle of the fuselage of the ship was a large red cross.

The two villains saw other transporter pads, some of them materializing and dematerializing ordinary people, while other transporter pads, these in sealed glass tubes that connected to other parts of the ships, had people coming and going that looked like doctors and patients.

"What is all of this?" Dio Brando asked

"This," said Insano as he indicated the enormous starship, "is the _S.S. St. Primrose_, a flying hospital for those who wish to be healed in privacy, yet still suffer in misery."

"This whole starship is one big hospital?" Dio Brando asked. "What are we doing on a flying hospital?"

"I told you that we're here to kidnap a patient," said Insano.

"You did say that," said an annoyed Dio Brando, "but you haven't told me why, and if you don't tell me why, I'll leave you here and tell Xehanort that you ran away for your own selfish needs." He then grinned viciously, "then he'll come down on you like a tone of bricks."

"But I am acting on my own selfish needs," said Insano as he grinned madly, "but this will definitely be worth your while, just be _patient_." He then giggled at his own pun.

"Alright," said Dio Brando in an annoyed tone, "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, for thirty minutes, not one second more. After that, you're on your own. And if that happens, my advice to you, run and don't stop."

"Believe me," said Insano, "this will be so worth it."

"We'll just see about that," said Dio Brando.

The two villains followed a moving sidewalk from the transporter room to the lobby of the hospital and stood at the reception desk, "excuse me, nurse," Insano said to the candy-striper at the front desk, "I'm late for a consultation appointment," he then pointed to his metal nametag on his lab coat, "can you tell me where the physical therapy section is?"

"Level three," said the nurse in a bored tone as she pointed to a nearby set of turbo lifts, not bothering to look up from a book she was reading from, "take the right hallway, second left and two more doors down, you can't miss it."

"My thanks," said Insano.

But then the nurse looked up, "wait a second," she said in a suspicious tone, "what's your name, doctor? I need to check to see if you're on the list of consultants due today and I need to see your credentials."

"You don't need to do that," said Insano as he pulled out a device that looked like a book light and turned it on. The device unfolded and shone a blue LED light that produced a hypnotic effect on the nurse, "you don't need to see my credentials."

"I don't need to see your credentials," said the nurse in a dazed tone, her eyes fully dilated as she was lost in the insidiously glowing light.

"You don't need to check to see if I'm expected," said Insano, "my word is good enough."

"Your word is good enough," said the nurse.

Insano grinned mischievous as he turned the hypnotizing light away from the nurse, whom then, blinked in confusion, then smiled at him, "just take the turbo lift to level three, doctor," she said, "the right hallway, second left and two more doors down, you can't miss it."

"My thanks," said Insano. With that he and Dio Brando walked to the turbo lift and took it to the third level.

"Now that's a handy gadget," said Dio Brando as he ignored the monotonous elevator music.

"It is," said Insano, "and what's better is that my Neuralizer doesn't work on me, all because I'm wearing goggles!" he then shone the hypnosis light on him and giggled madly, "see? Nothing!" he then laughed like the maniac he was.

"Just don't use it on me," said Dio Brando, "or I'll drain all of your blood and leave you a desiccated husk!"

"Flattery will get you nowhere," said Insano as he put his Neuralizer away. "Now come, we've a patient to abduct."

"Just who is this guy that you're so hung up about kidnapping?" Dio Brando asked.

"You'll see," said Insano.

A short time later they had reached the physical therapy room. Through a wide window, they saw a tall, well muscled man in his late thirties, with shoulder-length black hair slicked back and a square jaw, going through various exercises designed to help the body recover from a serious trauma. With the man was a much shorter man with longer, shaggy black hair, a very large nose and wearing a brown and black suit and coat.

"Who are these people?" Dio Brando asked.

"The big, strapping specimen is Gaston," said Insano, "a former stalker of one of the Princesses of Heart. Before he wound up in here he was a man among men; an expert hunter who never missed his mark, a champion athlete and an overall local hero. Women wanted him and men wanted to be him.

"This was a guy who could have any girl he wanted; seriously, the ladies were flinging themselves at his feet. But he had eyes for only one girl; Belle, and she couldn't stand him at all. Belle is one who values knowledge and intelligence, as well as imagination and independence, and boy was she repulsed by Gaston's chauvinistic view of women, lack of wisdom and in short, thought the man was a downright asshole.

"Yet the more Belle rejected him, the more Gaston wanted her, even so much as bribing an asylum administrator to declaring Belle's father insane, and her father was indeed a few marbles short of a full bag to begin with. To make a long story short, Gaston went to Beast's castle to claim Belle for himself. This happened after Sora defeated Xaldin, but before the shared love of Belle and Beast ended the enchantment.

"What happened was that Gaston demanded that Belle leave Beast, that he was superior to any monster. Belle told Gaston that _he _was the monster and this pissed him off so much he went berserk, and after a rather intense fight that lead to the outside of the highest tower in the castle, Beast knocked Gaston off the roof and he fell hundreds of feet to the canyon river below.

"To say that it was a miracle that he survived would be an understatement. The man had every bone in his body broken and severe internal injuries. He would have succumbed to his wounds if his sidekick, Lefou, hadn't found him. He was brought here to St. Primrose, where his recovery has been, again, miraculous. Yet despite his incredible progress, he'll never live a normal life again.

"Not only will he be limping for the rest of his life, he'll never be able to hold a weapon, be it a sword, spear or shoot an arrow. Even if that wasn't the case, one eye was damaged so it's no longer aligned with the other, giving him a 'lazy eye.' And then there's the question of his manhood; he's been impudent ever since he fell. I could go on and on about his ailments, but you get the idea, and we have less than half an hour of your time left."

"I get the picture," said Dio Brando, "so why are we here to see this cripple?"

"You're about to find out," said Insano. With that he walked into the physical therapy room with Dio Brando right behind him. From a closer perspective, one could see just how much damage Gaston's body had taken. His once awe inspiring muscles had atrophied from not being able to move while his bones healed. Here and there were scars from where he was lacerated from his fall, as well as from where a few compound fractures had pierced his skin.

Currently, Gaston was struggling to use a weight machine to strengthen his calf muscles, while Lefou was encoring him on.

"Just a few more, Gaston!" said Lefou, "you're almost up to twenty reps. Then you can move up to twenty-one!"

"I used to be able to do hundreds of reps in all exercises!" said an irate Gaston as he used the weight machine, his face and clothes soaked with sweat an was overall exhausted from exertion, "and it's all Belle's fault! I hate her! I hate her father! I hate that Beast! And I hate her most of all!"

"Yes, good, embrace the hate," said Insano as he walked closer, his gloved fingers tapping together in a thoughtful manner, "hatred gives you strength. Let it feed the raging inferno in your heart."

Gaston then looked at Insano, revealing that his left eye was looking a bit more down than the right one, "who are you? You're not my regular doctor."

"If you're here to make trouble for Gaston," said Lefou as he got between Gaston and Insano, his fists raised for a fight, "you'll have to go through me first!"

"I don't have time for this," said Insano. He pointed one finger and zapped a beam at the little toady, causing him to jump in terror, "get lost, you brown nosing ferret!" He shot another bolt at Lefou, causing the little man to yelp in fear and run to the far side of the room.

"Hey! You can't do that to my friend!" said Gaston, "I'm the only one who can abuse Lefou!"

"And you take such good care of your lackey," said Insano, "but I'm not here to give points on minion mismanagement." He then sat down in front of Gaston, "I'm prepared to offer you a once in a lifetime deal, my good man, one you'd be wise not to turn down."

"What is it you're offering?" Gaston asked in an interested tone.

"I'm curious to that as well," said Dio Brando.

"And who are you?" Gaston asked.

"Someone who's time is being wasted," said Dio Brando, "and I know more about time than you can imagine." He then looked at Insano, "so get on with it already!"

"Yes, enough beating around the bush," said Insano, "so, Gaston, how would you like to, not only be restored to the man among men you once were, but also to surpass that man? To be better, stronger, faster and have far more virility than you ever thought possible?"

"Don't listen to him, Gaston!" shouted Lefou, "He's just here to mess with you! You don't need some crackpot doctor! You can get back to your old self all on your own!"

Insano then zapped Lefou again, causing the little man to yelp in fright as he barely dodged the finger laser.

"I didn't spend seven years getting my PhD in dark science just to be called a crackpot!" snapped Insano, "I may be mad, but I'm no quack." He then looked at Gaston, "this is a genuine offer, my good man, one which you'll not only become better than before, but also have what you want more than anything else in all of existence."

"Belle," said Gaston, his face twisted with rage and desire.

"You still want the girl," said Insano, "after all the rejections and humiliations, after being thrown off a roof and suffering crippling wounds, you still want her for yourself. I also assume that you want to kill The Beast as well, right?"

"I don't want to kill The Beast," said Gaston. He then looked like he wanted to punch a hole in the wall, "I want to hunt him down like the animal he is! I want him to be afraid, I want him cowering in a corner as I move in for the kill, and it will be a slow kill. I'll figure out how I'll kill him later, but when he's dead, I'll skin him and keep him as a trophy. Then I'll make Belle mine, and believe me, you don't want to know what I have planned for her."

"Oh, I can imagine quite a lot," said a viciously grinning Insano, "yet all these fantasies of yours will remain just that, fantasies, so long as you remain as you are."

At that Gaston looked down at his ruined body, focusing on his hands that once did things that so many people admired. For a second it looked like he was about to give in to misery and start crying.

"But it doesn't have to be that way, my friend," said Insano, "I can help you."

"You can?" Gaston asked as he looked at the mad scientist, daring to hope for a better life, "how can you possibly help me?"

"The doctors at this hospital are the best at what they do," said Insano, "they saved your life and restored you somewhat. But their medical skills and resources pale in comparison to what I can do. With my knowledge of science, I remake you into your ideal self and beyond!"

"What's the catch?" Lefou asked, "there's always a catch!"

Insano considered zapping the little minion, but stopped himself, "yes, that is a valid question. I will want something in return for my services." He then looked at Gaston, "my price is that, when you've finished your transformation, you will be all but invincible, with a whole plethora of new powers and abilities. You will use those new talents of yours to kill whomever I say to kill, to destroy whatever I say to destroy and a few more favors that will come up from time to time.

"That is my price for helping you. But you will get the more satisfying end of the bargain, wouldn't you agree?"

"Let me get this straight," said Gaston, "you'll make me better than I was before I became this waste of a man. In return I'll become your personal errand boy and assassin, but I will get to destroy The Beast and make Belle mine," he then grinned wickedly, "I say that we have a bargain, doctor."

"Doctor Insano to be exact," said the madman, "so, now that we're all in agreement…"

"There's one more thing I want," said Gaston, "I get to keep Lefou. Sure, he's annoying at times, but he's loyal."

"Oh, by all means, bring him along," said Insano, "if there's one thing I appreciate, it's loyalty between masters and minions."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Gaston asked. "Lefou! My wheelchair. I won't be needing it for much longer, but bring it anyway."

"Okay," said Lefou as he brought a wheelchair over to Gaston and helped the crippled man into it. Lefou then pushed Gaston to the doorway, but stopped and glared at Insano, "but I'm warning you, crazy man, if you try to double cross Gaston, you'll be in for a world of hurt!"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," said Insano. With that he and Dio Brando followed Gaston and Lefou out of the room and down the hallway. A short time later they were back at the lobby and passed the nurse, who smiled and waved at them. Insano then waved back.

"I told you this would be worth your time," said Insano.

"This time," said Dio Brando as they headed towards the moving sidewalk that would take them to the transporter pad. They passed a girl in her early 20's with shoulder-length mahogany hair and wearing a purple and black dress with a raven on her shoulder. As they passed each other, Dio Brando thought he saw that the girl's eyes were pale yellow. But before he could get a second look, the girl was off the moving sidewalk and heading for the reception desk.

There was something odd about the girl, thought Dio Brando, but he didn't think it was important. He, Insano, Gaston and lefou then reached the transporter room and took one of the pads back to Castle Oblivion.

The girl then approached the reception desk, "tell me where the long-term intensive care unit and psychiatric wards are," she demanded in a sinister voice.

"Intensive care is on level four," said the nurse as she pointed to the turbo lifts, "take the left hallway an the third right after that, you can't miss it. Psych ward is all of level seven."

"Indeed," said the girl as she turned to walk to the turbo lifts.

"Wait a second!" said the nurse as she stood up, "pets aren't allowed in here. And you need special clearance to visit the psych ward."

The girl turned around and walked right up the desk. The nurse then saw a glowing green gem on a necklace that the girl was wearing. The green gem flashed and the nurse was again hypnotized.

"You did not see me," said the girl, who was Maleficent, inside the body of Penny Dubois, "I was never here," she then walked to the turbo lift and rode it up to the fourth level, leaving a very confused nurse at her station in the lobby.

Maleficent arrived at the intensive care ward and headed straight for a room where a woman with graying black hair and a hawkish face, sat in a wheelchair that was facing a window with a clear view of the stars outside. In her lap was an elaborately carved cane.

The woman in the chair pressed a button a nearby remote and the windows turned opaque, then changed to a view of a field of tulips, then to a view of a mountain.

"What marvels of technology that mortals do create," said Maleficent as she walked into the room.

The woman in the wheelchair tensed slightly at the intrusive voice, but then relaxed as she recognized who was speaking, "so, you finally decide to visit me, Maleficent," she said, "after well over a decade since our last correspondence."

"I do regret not writing, Lady Tremaine," said Maleficent, "I have been…otherwise occupied."

"Yes, your exploits speak for themselves," said Lady Tremaine as she turned her wheelchair around. The overhead lamps revealed that the once proud and cruel woman who had once made Cinderella a virtual slave in her own house was now a broken spirit. Not only had the years aged her, one could tell that she wore heavy makeup to cover up burn scars that marred her face. Her hands were also scarred, yet still they strongly gripped her cane.

Yet when Lady Tremaine looked at Maleficent, she laughed. "What is this? You're not Maleficent! You're too young and pretty to be the mistress of all evil."

"Believe me, my sister in darkness," said Maleficent, "it is I. This body is only a temporary home for my essence, until a proper vessel can be found for me. You do not believe it? Look closer," she then got within a few paces of Lady Tremaine, "do you doubt the evil in these eyes?"

"It is you," said Lady Tremaine as she gripped her cane tighter, her face betraying a hint of fear. But then her expression turned to one of annoyance, "why have you come here? Now of all times? Wait, don't bother answering, I know the reason. You want me to join with you."

"Perceptive as always," said Maleficent. She then sat at a nearby chair, "yes, I am gathering allies one again. The last time was an even more bitter failure than the one before, but this time I shall be triumphant! The Mistress of all Evil shall soon reign supreme!"

"I've heard that statement before," said Lady Tremaine as she turned her wheelchair around, turning her back on Maleficent, "bold words, and also empty."

"Do you doubt my power?" Maleficent asked, "I, who have conquered death and have gone deeper into the darkness than even that old fool Xehanort dared to venture?"

"I doubt your chances for success," said Lady Tremaine, "not only did that boy toy Phillip stab you with a magic sword, you were defeated by the same Keyblade Wielder twice, and who knows how many times you died before that."

"This new life of mine shall be a success," said Maleficent, "I am more than willing to share my plans with you, sister in darkness, as well as in the fruits of success, but you must join with me first."

At that Lady Tremain laughed cruelly, but also with sadness, "and just how can I assist you and reap the rewards of darkness?" she asked. She then slowly got to her feet, her entire body trembling as she used her cane to hobble over to Maleficent, her back bent with pain and age, "that pumpkin bomb that I failed to see all those years ago not only burned over half of my body, I'm also old. You may have found a way to cheat death and restore your youth, but time still holds sway over me. I'm no good to anyone. All my old companions have long abandoned me, as well as my daughters.

"My daughters," she spat, "my dear, sweet Anastasia and Drizella. They've gone off and found husbands of their own, despite their being burned by the bomb as well, though not as extensively as I was. But they've found happiness of their own, mediocre happiness, but last I heard they were satisfied. My children have moved on and forgotten about me. Even my cat, my dear, precious Lucifer, has passed away. I am alone, so all that is left for me is to just sit and stare at the stairs and wait for my body to die."

"It's sad that you've been reduced to this," said Maleficent in a tone that implied cruel pity, "but it doesn't have to be this way. Though this body's prowess in magic is only a fraction of what I can do before, I still have the means to heal your scars and restore some of your youth."

"As if I'll accept anything of yours," said Lady Tremaine as she turned around to glare at Maleficent, "I know the price your favors carry. You wish to make me subservient to you! Well forget it! I may have lost nearly everything, but I still have my pride!"

"Ah, yes, pride," said Maleficent, "the coin without which a woman's purse would be empty, but you still have something else, my sister in darkness, you still have your heart, despite your depredations of the past. And of course, you still love your daughters."

"They are my children," said Lady Tremaine, "I confess that I did terrible things, and not just to Cinderella, but I did it all out of love for my children."

"What if I could promise that your daughters would prosper alongside you," said Maleficent, "that not only could I restore their youth and beauty but enhance their beauty as well, surpassing that even of Cinderella."

"You can do that?" Lady Tremaine asked in a hopeful tone, "you can give them the happiness and prosperity that that wretched Cinderella stole from them?"

"I can do far more than that," said Maleficent, "join with me, and we shall see to it that Cinderella and those other Princesses of Heart are put in their rightful places."

At that Lady Tremaine paused in thought, "I want evidence that you can do what you have been boasting of. Prove to me that you can restore me to my former glory."

Maleficent then waved her hand and produced a vial full of bluish green liquid, "this potion will heal your scars and restore your youth. Unfortunately it will only turn the clock back about ten or fifteen years, as well as put you in a more…fashionable outfit. I confess, this body I'm wearing has a taste for the fashion arts."

"Your current vessel is an improvement on the last one," said Lady Tremaine. "Before I even consider accepting your offer, what guarantee can you give me that this is not some ploy of yours to put me in thrall to you?"

"Why would I want to enthrall you?" Maleficent asked, "if you so desire it, then I swear by the everlasting darkness that you shall remain free in mind and heart. So now," she then levitated the potion over to Lady Tremaine, "will you accept my offer? Or should I just throw the concoction away?"

Lady Tremaine looked at the vial before grabbing and uncorking it. Hesitating for a few seconds, as if about to reconsider the offer, she downed the potion in one gulp, "there," she said as she tossed the empty vial away, "there's your answer. Now, how long will it take to work?"

"It has already begun," said Maleficent as she summoned a hand mirror and held it before Lady Tremaine. The wicked stepmother watched in a amazement as her reflection changed. The burn scars faded away, the covering makeup vanished and the signs of age retreated, making her a few years younger than she was before that fateful night of the grand ball.

She was also amazed to find that she was now wearing a deep red dress with ruffled sleeves, as well as finding that she was at long last without pain throughout her body. She stood up straight and held her cane as just an accessory item, no longer needing it to support her.

"This is incredible!" said Lady Tremaine as she took the mirror from Maleficent and admired her newly restored countenance, "truly your dark powers are unmatched!"

"That they are," said Maleficent smugly. She then smiled wickedly, "oh, there is one thing I forgot to tell you. The potion will wear off in exactly seventy-two hours, and your miraculous recovery shall come undone."

At that Lady Tremaine nearly dropped the mirror in shock, "What?" she asked in an outraged tone. "You mean…?"

At that Maleficent laughed cruelly, "that's right, in three days you shall once again become old, decrepit, crippled and broken, unless you take subsequent doses of the potion, which I will give you, for a price that is."

"You tricked me!" exclaimed Lady Tremaine as she held the mirror up in a threatening gesture, "I should beat you to death with this!"

"You might just succeed," said Maleficent, "if I were to die while in this body, my essence would be lost forever. You would have succeeded where princes, princesses, good fairies and heroes have failed so many times. But your victory shall be bitter sweet, for only I know how to brew the potion needed to maintain your health and beauty, and only I know where there is more already brewed."

"So that's how you intend to ensnare me," said Lady Tremaine as she lowered the mirror, "force me to become dependent on your potions. You've truly earned the title of Mistress of all Evil."

"Indeed," said Maleficent, "So, to the real matter at hand. You shall have all the restoration potions you'll desire, enough to last you till the end of your days, as well as a supply for your daughters if you wish, and all I ask in return is your loyalty and obedience."

"You realize that I hate you," said Lady Tremaine, "But that doesn't mean we cannot cooperate. Very well, I'll accept your offer, on two conditions; first of all you will provide the potion to my daughters, once we collect them from their frightfully mediocre lives, and that they are elevated to a far more prosperous station in society."

"Technically that's two requests," said Maleficent, "but I will allow it. What is your other request?"

"I want Cinderella to suffer," said Lady Tremaine in a menacing tone, "I want her so miserable, so deep in the depths of despair that she will envy the days she took orders from me. And when the time comes to destroy her, I shall be the one to do it. I want her to know that I was the instrument of her sorrow and demise."

"Again, that's two requests," said Maleficent, "but again, I will allow it."

With that the two villainess shook hands.

"So, when do we start on the road of revenge?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"As soon as we recruit one more individual," said Maleficent, "after that we need to collect your daughters. Once we are all together, then I shall take you to where the secrets of our mutual success lay."

"And just where is this final individual?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"Upstairs in the mental ward," said Maleficent as she and Lady Tremaine left the room and headed through the hallway for the turbo lift.

"Why on any world would we want to visit where they keep the lunatics?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"That is where the last member of our soon to be triad is wallowing in misery," said Maleficent, "come, our friend awaits us."

They took the turbo lift to the seventh level and headed straight for a room at the end of a hallway, ignoring the various mentally troubled patients, some of whom were babbling incoherently, others just sitting around in catatonic despair.

They reached the room at the end of the hallway.

"'Patient 24601,'" said Lady Tremaine as she read the nametag on the door.

"The physicians did not believe the poor woman when she told them who she was," said Maleficent, "not surprising considering the state she was in when she was found, half dead from falling down a mountain and partly crushed by a bolder, as well as her overall appearance, you'll understand when you see her."

Maleficent then used a spell to disable the electronic lock on the door. They went inside and saw an elderly woman of indeterminable age, laying on a bed with restraining straps holding her body down. The woman had wide, madly glinting eyes and a hooked nose and a shock of white hair.

"What's this?" the old woman asked in a raspy voice, "who are you people! You were not invited! What do you want with me?"

"My dear Regina," said Maleficent, "have you truly lost your mind? Are you as mad as everyone says you are?"

"That voice," said the old woman, Regina, "it can't be! You don't look like her! Why do you have Maleficent's voice?"

"Because it is me, Regina," said Maleficent, "or should I say, your highness."

"Who is this old crone?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"You happen to be in the presence of The Evil Queen," said Maleficent, "who once was the fairest of her world, until Snow White came along and took the title for herself."

"Snow White!" spat Regina, the former Evil Queen of The Dwarf Woodlands, "how I hate that slip of a girl! Everything was perfect in my kingdom until she came along. She ruined everything with her oh so perfect skin white as snow, her lips red as blood and hair black as ebony. And that voice of hers, that oh so sweet voice that could charm animals and dough-eyed princes. I should have cut her heart out myself!"

"But you didn't," said Maleficent, "instead, you asked a stranger to do the deed for you, a stranger who turned out to be a Keyblade Wielder who had no intention of murdering poor, precious Snow White. I had to take control of the boy through his inner darkness in order to steal Aurora's heart, but that was another matter entirely.

"What's done is done, Regina. You have suffered greatly, but you need not suffer any more."

"What do you know of suffering!" spat Regina, "I had half the bones in my body broken by my fall, with several more broken by having a bolder fall on me. When I was brought to this traveling house of healing, no one believed who I was. I told them I was a queen and they thought I was a mad old women."

"Your appearance and overall attitude probably didn't help your case," said Lady Tremaine.

"Again, what's done is done," said Maleficent as she summoned another vial of her potion and held it out to Regina, "with this, not only will your old wounds be healed, but so will your beauty. Once again you shall be the fairest of them all, second only to Snow White. It would only then be a matter of time before the waif is destroyed, then your beauty shall be unsurpassed once again."

"But there's a price," said Lady Tremaine.

"I figured as much," said Regina. She then glared at Maleficent, "so, what do you want with me?"

"Only that you promise to help me with my plans," said Maleficent, "obey my commands and use your arcane skills to further my goals, and I swear to you, my sister in darkness, that you shall have your revenge on Snow White, and those wretched Dwarves of hers as well."

"'You scratch my back, I scratch yours,'" said Regina, "so be it. Give me the potion, restore my beauty, and I'll help you in your plans."

Maleficent handed the vial to Regina, who uncorked it and swallowed it on one gulp, all the while Lady Tremaine laughed quietly to herself.

Within seconds the former Evil Queen had started a startling transformation. The wrinkles on her skin vanished, as well as all the flaws of old age, while he nose straightened out and shrank. Her eyes also shrank and became much darker, more sinister, while her hair darkened to a rich black, soft and supple. All traces of old injuries also vanished, while her hospital robe became a black dress with a deep purple cape. Yet it was her face, rejuvenated into beauty, but said beauty was only skin deep, for it did nothing to hide her inner evil.

"Yes," said Regina as the straps securing her to the bed vanished as she sat up, "I feel restored. A mirror! Show me a mirror!"

"It'd be my pleasure," said Maleficent as she summoned a hand mirror and held it out to Regina. The Evil Queen took the mirror and was very pleased by her reflection, "yes, once again I am the fairest of them all! Now, if only I can track down the spirit of my old Magic Mirror."

"You won't have much time to look," said Lady Tremaine, who was barely able to hold in her vicious humor.

"What are you talking about?" Regina asked.

"I forgot to mention," said Maleficent, "the potion will wear off in three days, then you'll be your old, broken down self again."

"Excuse me!" snapped Regina, her face twisted with rage, "how dare you! Who do you think you are?"

"She's the mistress of all evil," said Lady Tremaine, "what did you expect?"

"You now have a choice, Regina," said Maleficent, "you can try to destroy me, and you might just succeed, but you would lose your beauty forever. On the other hand, you can join forces with me and I swear by the everlasting darkness, you shall receive regular doses of the potion that will allow you to keep your health and looks.

"As an added bonus, you shall gain that which you want more than to be the fairest of them all; revenge."

At that Regina smiled cruelly, "you know me too well," she said, "yes, I want revenge on that wretched Snow White, her and her filthy dwarf friends, and that disgusting Prince Charming of hers as well."

"You shall have all that you want," said Maleficent, "youth, beauty, revenge, your magic mirror, I'll even help you get your old kingdom back, and all the power that went with it."

"Yes," said Regina, "I want it all! I'll help you with whatever you want, Maleficent."

"Then it has begun," said Maleficent as she looked at Regina and Lady Tremaine, "the three of us shall do great things together, and pity the fools who stand in our way."

Maleficent then opened a Dark Corridor, "come, my sisters in darkness, there is much to do and many secrets for me to share."

"And potions to brew," said Lady Tremaine, "you had better keep your end of the bargain, or I will make you suffer, I will find a way."

"As well I," said Regina, "if you betray us, Maleficent, your suffering shall be legendary, even in hell."

"Then I had better keep my promises," said Maleficent, "as will you. Now that we all understand each other, let us depart, we have work to do." With that the three villainess' walked through the Dark Corridor, which vanished after them.

* * *

**…Somewhere in The Magical Dimension…**

On an average street in an suburb on an average world of The Magical Dimension stood one of the most unusual students to attend Alfea. Mirta was born half witch, half fairy, allowing her to use light and dark magic equally, thought for the past year or so she had preferred light magic, and enjoyed the company of fairies over witches for more than one reason.

Mirta was of average height with pale skin and freckles, with short burgundy hair that had one blue streak and dark green eyes. She wore a punk gothic outfit consisting of frayed white shirt with a pumpkin decal in the middle and an open black vest, with a black and gray layered skirt held up a white and a dark red belt, dark red leggings and black knee-high boots with grey straps and grey arm cuffs.

With her was a boy in his mid teens. He had short black hair, light skin tone and the same dark green eyes that Mirta had and stood a few inches shorter than her. He wore a blue and gray shirt with blue jeans held up with a tan belt that had several pouches attacked to it and wore gray boots.

"I don't understand, Malcolm," said Mirta, "now, of all times, you're leaving?"

"A man has to do what a man has to do, sis," said Malcolm in a shy, quiet tone.

"You only just turned fifteen," said Mirta in an annoyed tone, "and if you think they'll treat you like an adult just because you talk like you're responsible, then you're not fooling anyone."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Malcolm asked, "just stay at home and let this power of mine go to waste? You know that I flunked the entrance exams, so I can't go to Red Fountain next term."

"You can always try next year," said Mirta, "and there are other schools in The Magical Dimension. The Gods know that you've got a lot of magical potential."

"You're the better magic user," said Malcolm, "you can use both light and dark magic. Me, I'm just a gifted amateur in the dark arts. But I wanted to go to Red Fountain, it's been my dream since I was little, but now, after what happened, I'm going to have to seek a new dream elsewhere."

"But why have you given up on going to Red Fountain?" Mirta asked, "why give up after failing the entrance exams just once?"

"Did you even _see _the rejection letter?" Malcolm asked, "not only did I completely tank the written exam, all because I have really bad handwriting, but I flunked the physical tests," he then shyly looked away from Mirta, "I think you know the reason for that."

"Your condition," said Mirta, "and it's total crap that they flunked you because of it. The doctors said that it wasn't a disability and would, in no way, interfere with your having a normal life."

"Sis," said Malcolm, "we're anything but normal. And they had every right to reject me because of my condition. If I end up having one of those blackouts I used to have when I was little, if one happens while on a mission, I could end up not only getting myself killed, but I could also endanger my teammates and those I'm trying to protect. I'd be a liability."

"It's still crap," said Mirta, "you haven't had a blackout in years, the medicine you've been taking has stopped them."

"But they could still happen," said Malcolm, "I'm not saying that I like what Saladin and the others at Red Fountain decided, but I do understand."

"And what you're planning to do is no less dangerous," said Mirta, "you could be in a life or death situation and have a blackout and end up endangering those around you. And what about mom and dad? How do you think they'd feel if you were to just up and leave for who knows where?"

"Mom wouldn't care," said Malcolm, "so long as I send back plenty of treasure."

"You don't have to remind me that our family has fallen on hard times," said Mirta, "and that Mom's business is strapped for cash. But what about Dad?"

"He'd be glad that I've become a man," said Malcolm.

"And what about me?" Mirta asked, "I'm scared that I'll never see you again."

"Well, of course you'll see me again," said Malcolm, "I have every intention of coming home. But I've got to do this."

"Why?" Mirta demanded, "is it because of some crazy obsession with destiny and fate?"

"Partly because of destiny," said Malcolm, "but mostly because this is what I want to do now. I know now that this is what I've always wanted in my heart, that this is who I was meant to be, that I can make a difference against evil. I'm going to do this."

At that Mirta sighed, "and there's nothing I can say or do to make you change your mind?"

"Nothing," said Malcolm.

Mirta sighed again, then smiled, "well, if you really are going to do this, then I'm all for it. But how can you be so sure that they will let you go with them?"

"You met them last year," said Malcolm, "you said that they were nice and accepting. They accepted you."

"I was stuck as a pumpkin when I met them," said Mirta, "but how can you be so confident that they'll let you join them?"

"I can only hope," said Malcolm, "but if they don't accept me, then I'll forge my own path. This is who I am now. I can only do the best that I can, no more, no less."

"Then let's get going," said Mirta, "and hope that the path you're about to start on is the right one.

* * *

**…Disney Castle…**

"I just got a message from Sora," said King Mickey as he met with Queen Minnie in the hallways of the castle, "they've helped The Winx out with their friendship problems, but a new one just cropped up; Xehanort and Sephiroth are working with Darkar now."

"How's that possible?" Queen Minnie asked, "what's that horrible old man and that lunatic who think's he's a god doing in The Magical Dimension?"

"I don't know," said The King, "and neither does Sora and the others. Whatever it is, it's not good, and they're going to need all the help they can get."

"Then, you'll be leaving again?" The Queen asked, "you just returned from searching for Castle Oblivion."

"And I'll have to go look for it again," said King Mickey, "I can't let Xehanort have his way, I just can't. I'll go to Sora and the others and help stop whatever Xehanort is planning, as well as stopping Darkar, if he gets The Ultimate Power, he won't stop with The Magical Dimension, he'll spread his evil across one universe after another."

"Then there isn't a moment to waste," said Queen Minnie, "when do we leave?"

"What do you mean 'we?'" The King asked suspiciously.

"Well, I'm coming with you this time, of course," said Queen Minnie, "not only will I help fight the evil ones, it will give both of us a chance to meet the daughter of some old, lost friends."

"Bloom," said The King as he smiled, "of course, I nearly forgot. We have to tell her about Oritel and Miriam. She deserves to know just how good her parents are."

"Do you really think they're still alive?" The Queen asked.

"I hope so," said King Mickey, "I really do, they're too good to have just laid up and died. All we can do is tell Bloom about her real mother and father and tell her that we still hope."

Just then Donald and Goofy ran up the hallway, "Your Majesties!" shouted Donald. He and Goofy then skidded to a halt in front of

"We just heard from Cid," said Goofy, "he just fixed The Intrepid Heart, and she's better 'n ever!"

"He's flying her over to hand over to Sora and the others," said Donald.

"They're still out on their mission," said Queen Minnie, "It'll be a nice surprise for them when we return."

"Or," said The King, "we can bring The Intrepid Heart to them."

"You mean bring the ship to Sora and the others?" Goofy asked.

"That's just what The King said, you big palooka!" said an annoyed Donald.

"That's exactly what I meant," said The King, "call Cid back, we're coming to him and we're bringing The Intrepid Heart to our friends!"

**The end of chapter 5.**

Next chapter finds our heroes returning to Alfea, where Darkar's next insidious plan bears bitter fruit. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	6. Chapter 6: The Betrayal

Last time found our heroes and allies learning the origin of Carmen, how she grew up on a fringe world of The Magical Dimension among poverty and the depridations of wicked men and her ambitions of returning to rid her home world of evil, which Bloom and the other Winx, Specilists, good witches and the Keyblade Wielders, promised to help.

At the same time, Doctor Insano and Dio Brando, arrived at a hospital starship to 'recruit' Gaston into becoming Insano's test subject, all so he could get his revenge on Belle and Beast. Meanwhile, Maleficent arrived at the same hospital to 'recruit' Lady Tremaine and Regina, the former evil queen, into her own cabal.

Back at Disney Castle, King Mickey and Queen Minnie prepared to go to Magix in order to help our heroes and allies in their fight against Darkar and The Trix. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 6: The Betrayal**

_…Shadowhaunt…_

"The Shadow Monsters seem a bit restless today," said Xehanort as he and Sephiroth traversed the corridors of the inverted castle. Indeed, the various breeds of creatures that Darkar employed in his army were agitated, roving through the castle, eager for a fight.

"I suspect that they sense their masters' displeasure at the recent failure," said Sephiroth.

"I concur," said Xehanort, "to have come so far, to have assembled all four pieces of The Codex, only to find that one more element is needed, and then to be denied that element."

"You should have let me capture Bloom," said Sephiroth, "even with my powers reduced by the Wildlands, I could have taken the waif, or do you truly doubt my prowess as a swordsman."

"Your skills have never been in doubt, my friend," said Xehanort, "but we must follow the plan. Besides, I'm sure that Lord Darkar has his own alternate plan for capturing the princess of Domino. Once he has made Bloom his, he will have no further need for The Trix."

"Just what are you planning for those witches?" Sephiroth asked.

"Oh, a bit of this, a bit of that," said Xehanort in a casual manner, "most of my ideas and fantasies will be highly unpleasant, for them that is. But I believe I'll allow one to remain intact. Our good friend, the mad scientist, is surely to be in need of test subjects for his experiments."

"Speaking of the lunatic," said Sephiroth, "how sure are you that he and Dio Brando haven't destroyed the castle yet? They don't strike me as very stable villains."

"A wise suggestion," said Xehanort as he pulled out a communication device and activated it, "Dio Brando! Insano! Respond at once!"

* * *

_…Castle Oblivion…_

"And here is where you'll be staying," said Dio Brando as he and Gaston, watched as Lefou wheeled Gaston into a comfortable yet Spartan apartment within the castle, "we have a full staff of servants, so if you need anything, just ask."

"Yes," said Insano, "and I apologize for the lack of handicap accessibility in this place. Whoever built the place paid no mind to the disabled."

"It's not problem," said Gaston, "I won't be in this wheelchair for long. And the room's fine for now," he looked around at the sparse white walls, "a few mounted heads here, a tapestry there, I'll make it work. Lefou!"

"Yes, boss," said Lefou as he pulled out a pad of paper and a quill, "hire a decorator," he wrote down, "got it."

Just then they heard Xehanort's voice, _"Dio Brando! Insano! Respond at once!"_

"What was that?" a nervous Lefou asked.

"The landlord," said Dio Brando as he pulled out a communication device, "yeah, we're here."

_"How fair things at the castle?"_ Xehanort asked.

"All is well," said Insano in an assuring manner, "no incidents to report whatsoever."

_"Are you sure?"_ Xehanort asked, _"nothing you wish to tell?"_

"Only that I've picked up a potential asset to the cause," said Insano, eyeing Gaston through his goggles, "one that I shall turn into a force for the darkness, with SCIENCE no less!" he said triumphantly as he pointed up with his left index finger.

_"I shall be looking forward to meeting this new asset,"_ said Xehanort, _"oh, has our new financial expert arrived yet?"_

Dio Brando looked at Insano in confusion, "did the new guy get here while we were gone?" he whispered while covering the phone with his hand.

"How should I know?" Insano whispered, "I just got back, same as you."

_"Is everything alright over there?"_ Xehanort asked.

"Uh, yeah," said Dio Brando hastily, "everything's cool. The new guy isn't here yet."

_"He's well overdue,"_ said Xehanort, _"I'm starting to worry. Inform me the second, the very second he arrives."_

"Will do," said Dio Brando as the call disconnected.

"I wonder," said Insano, "just how pissed off will he be if the financial guy is here and we didn't even know it."

"The servants would have told us if the new guy was here or not," said Dio Brando, "we're okay for now."

"Then there's not a moment to wait," said Insano, he then looked at Gaston, "don't get too comfortable, my good man, there's work to be done."

"Whatever you're going to do to me," said Gaston, "don't drag it out. The sooner it's done, the sooner I can get my revenge on Belle."

"Then let's get started," said Insano, "for this shall be my greatest dark plan yet!" He then laughed madly as he, Dio Brando, and Gaston being pushed by Lefou, left the room.

* * *

_…Shadowhaunt…_

"They've been up to something," said Sephiroth.

"I do not doubt that," said Xehanort, "but no harm has been done, yet. I'm more concerned about the absence of our financial advisor. He had better have a reason for being late, I do not appreciate being kept waiting for longer than necessary."

"Who does?" Sephiroth asked. They then realized that they were outside the door to one of the castle dungeons. Sephiroth looked in and saw a tall man wearing a blue robe with the hood over his head, with a black metal mask on his face. The man was chained to the stone walls and was weakly struggling to stand up.

"My powers may have been weakened by your accursed iron mask, Darkar," said the man as he tried to break the chains with a spell that failed, "but I swear, I will find a way out of your dungeon." He then slumped to the floor, his strength exhausted.

"Most likely some eager young fool who thought he could defeat Darkar," said Xehanort, "hardly of our concern." With that he and Sephiroth resumed their walk, but Sephiroth glanced back at the dungeon, suspiciously eyeing the prisoner for a second, before turning his attention back to the corridor before him.

* * *

_…Aboveground…_

"So the cruiser has a launching bay for collapsible fighters?" Riku asked as one of said fighters flew along side the cruiser, "that's so awesome!"

"I know what I'm getting for my birthday," said Sora.

"Don't let Sidney hear that you want a different Gummy Ship," teased Kairi.

"Who's Sidney?" Tecna asked.

"A secret girlfriend?" Morgan teased.

"Why Sora," said Carmen in a mock offended tone, "I had no idea you were capable of cheating on your beloved Kairi. For shame."

"Sidney's just a friend," said Sora, "she's the A.I. program for our Gummy Ship, and I was saying we should ask Cid if he could upgrade The Intrepid Heart so it could have a fighter bay."

"And how much is that going to cost?" Aiden asked, "he's helped us out a lot, but there's only so much free work a friend is willing to do for another. If you really want to upgrade our ship, it's going to be expensive, I just know it."

"So?" Stella asked, "you're an alchemist, you can just make as much gold as you need."

"Hey, I'm good at alchemy," said Aiden, "really good in fact, but I'm not a god. There's only so much gold I can make at a time. Equivalent Exchange, remember."

"For whatever you want to do with alchemy," said Timmy, "you have to put in an equal amount of energy."

"'To obtain, something of equal value must be lost,'" said Elise, "the Law of Equivalent Exchange."

"It'd cost a fortune to do what Sora wants," said Aiden, "and that's just a rough estimate."

"Hey, Sky," said Bloom into the ship's com system, "just how much did this cruiser cost?"

"I honestly don't know, Bloom," said Sky over the radio. Sky, who was in the fighter cockpit, flew closer to the bridge of the cruiser, "I wasn't aware of how big the Red Fountain budget at the time, but I'd say it cost pretty much."

"You'd have to slay millions of Heartless just to break even," said Elise, "but that's just my estimation."

"Millions?" Tess asked, "that'd take forever?"

"I don't know," said Sora in a thoughtful manner, "I mean, we've been fighting Heartless for so long, I honestly lost track of how many I've killed."

"Darn," said Carmen, "and I was hoping this time we'd be able to determine who could vanquish the most."

"If things keep going the way they've been going," said Helia, "you may just get your wish."

"Look!" said Aisha as she pointed out the window, "there's Pixy Village!" she then rocked her bonded pixy in her arms, "we're almost there, Piff, just a little bit longer."

In response, Piff sneezed, as did the other bonded pixies.

As they flew over the tiny village of red and yellow buildings, Timmy noticed something odd on the scanners, "this isn't good," he said, "I'm picking up recent dark magic activity."

"What are you talking about?" Aisha asked, "only a few Pixies can use dark magic, and one of them is the guardian pixy of Cloud Tower."

"Madam Discorda," said Carmen.

"Wait," said Elise as she looked at the scanner data, "there's also traces of sudden temperature drops in the village."

"That sounds all too familiar," said Bloom in a grave tone.

They all were prepared for the worse as the cruiser and fighter landed. They exited the ships and walked towards the village, with Helia carrying Lockette and Amore, Brandon carrying Tune and Digit, while Flora carried Chatta and Aisha carried Piff.

Surfing towards them on a piece of parchment was Livi, "my goodness!" said the pixy of messages, "Aisha, Flora, what happened?" she looked at the bonded pixies with concerned eyes, "are you guys sick or something?"

"Gee, is it that obvious?" Digit asked in an annoyed tone before sneezing again.

"We got a little too close to some funky mushrooms spores," said Chatta.

"I'm sorry to ask," said Aisha, "but we're going to have to borrow some leaves of The Tree of Life in order to cure them."

"Then you're not here to punish me?" Livi asked in a hopeful tone.

"Punish you?" Flora asked in a confused tone, "what for?"

"I lost the last piece of The Codex," said Livi in a frightened tone, "there was an accident at Alfea. Professor Avalon was poisoned and I was asked to come back here for the cure. Icy followed me and she nearly got the Codex piece. I tried to keep it away from her but the other Trix showed up and they took it. Darkar now has the whole Codex, and it's all my fault!" at that she started crying.

"Oh, no, it's not your fault," said Flora in a kind, assuring tone as she placed a comforting hand on the crying Livi.

"Are you out of your fraking mind?!" exclaimed Carmen, "of course it's her fault!"

"The enemy now has the complete Codex," said a frantic Elise, "it's only a matter of time before that bastard has The Ultimate Power."

"Then there's no stopping him," said Tess in a shocked, defeated tone.

"That's it, we're done for," said a horrified Morgan, "game over, man, game over!"

"We're not finished yet!" said Sora, "sure, Darkar and The Trix have the whole Codex, but that's no reason for us to give up."

"We can still come up with something to stop them," said Kairi, "I mean, if they've got the whole Codex, then why haven't they used it by now?"

"When exactly did this happen, Livi?" Bloom asked.

Just then Ninfia hovered over to our heroes and allies, "I believe I can answer that."

"Madam Ninfia," said Tune as she struggled to get up to show the proper respect, but lacked the strength, "forgive me for my rudeness."

"Same with us," said Chatta, while Digit, Amore and Lockette nodded weakly.

"It's quite alright, my dears," said Ninfia, "we'll have you sorted out in due time. But first there is some explaining to be done." She then told everyone what happened, with Icy attacking the village, freezing The Tree of Life and chasing Livi into Downland.

"So Armentia tried to stop Icy all by herself," said Brandon, "I'll admit, she's pretty brave, crazy, but brave."

"And also stupid for fighting The Trix all alone," said Stella.

"Hey, she's got her own army of Trogs," said Brandon.

"As if I'll forget them," said Stella, "but, what's done is done."

"Then you're not mad at me?" Livi asked.

"Of course not," said Flora, "we know you were just trying to save the village."

"You did your best," said Aisha, "there's no wrong in that."

"And there was absolutely no way that Musa…" said Tune.

"Or Tecna," interrupted Digit.

"Or Bloom," said Lockett.

"Or Stella," said Amore.

"Or Flora," said Chatta, "or anyone else, is going to get The Trix and that horrible old Darkar get away with any mean stuff.

At that Helia stepped forward, "I once heard an old poem, 'while The Tree of Life remains alive, Pixy Village shall grow and thrive."

"That's why we had to come back," said Lockette as she wiped her nose with a handkerchief, while Amore did the same, "for it's special magic."

At that Livi looked rather ashamed, as if fearing to tell her friends bad news.

"Livi, the Tree of Life is still alive, right?" Lockette asked.

"Yes, of course it is," said Livi, "Madam Ninfia managed to thaw it out from Icy's dark magic, but…I think it's sick."

"It's sick?" a horrified Digit asked, "but The Tree of Life never gets sick."

"But if it is," said Tune, "then how can it help us?"

"That's it," said Amore in a depressed tone, "we're done for."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," said Flora, "I'll do what I can to help The Tree of Life."

"That's the spirit," said Ninfia, "follow me to your patient."

The Tree of Life actually turned out to be a large orange flower in the middle of the village, but the leaves and petals of the flower were wilting. Flora knelt in front of the flower and touched it.

"The Tree of Life is sick, alright," said Flora as she used her magic to get a sense of the flower, "there's no doubt about it."

"It's all Icy's fault!" exclaimed Livi, "she's so mean, that witch. Her darkness must have poisoned The Tree of Life."

"There's another line to the poem, Helia," said Chatta, "'if the Tree of Life should fade and die, then the pixies, sure, this world would fly.'"

"What the hell does that mean?" Morgan asked.

"It means that our dear little friends are in serious trouble," said Carmen.

"What can we do to help?" Bloom asked.

"Nothing," said Flora in a determined tone, "Bloom, you and the others go back to Alfea. I'll come along when I've healed The Tree of Life."

"No way are you staying alone," said Morgan, "We both healed Mirta last year, so maybe I can figure out something to help."

"I'll stay as well," said Aiden, "Who knows? Maybe Alchemy is the answer."

"Count us in as well," said Sky.

"We'll fly the rest of the Winx back to Alfea and be right back," said Brandon.

A short time later our heroes and allies, minus Flora, Morgan and Aiden, were back aboard the cruiser as it took off and headed for Alfea. They all waved out the window down to those staying behind at Pixy Village, wishing them good luck.

* * *

_…Shadowhaunt…_

Xehanort and Sephiroth returned to the throne room just as Darkar was beginning another rant, "now that I possess all four pieces of The Codex," said the dark being, "I must have Bloom! I must corrupt her powers and bring about The Dark Dragon! Only then will I be able to enter The Realm of Realix and obtain all of it's secrets! Only then will I possess The Ultimate Power!"

It was then that Xehanort and Sephiroth saw that Darkar was talking into an image of Professor Avalon, who was kowtowing before the dark one, "fear not, my lord," said Avalon, "I shall deliver her to you personally," he then started to stand up, "but, master, if I may make a request…"

"What is it, you contemptible fool?!" exclaimed Darkar, causing Avalon to lower his face to the floor again, "and be brief, my patience grows thinner by the hour."

"Please, master," said the kowtowing Avalon, "I beg of you, eliminate the prisoner."

"No," said Darkar, "I refuse to dispose of my favorite plaything," he then summoned an image of the chained, mask-bound prisoner that Xehanort and Sephiroth saw earlier, "his suffering is far from over. I intend for him to live out his days in misery and agony, and such a long life it shall be."

He then vanished the image of the prisoner and focused on Avalon, "I sent you to Alfea as the perfect sleeper agent, but now is the time for you to wake up and deliver Bloom to me, alive and unharmed. Do what you must do, but I want Bloom before me before the day is out! Is that understood!?"

"Yes, master," said the kowtowing Avalon, "live to serve you, my Lord Darkar." the image then vanished.

"So," said Xehanort to himself, "that one we saw faking to be poisoned, he's been under Darkar's thumb all along."

"I'm not surprised," said Sephiroth dryly.

* * *

_…Alfea…_

Professor Avalon stood up and straightened his suit, "well, it has, to say the least, been fun, fooling all of Alfea, especially Bloom. But the game is over, time to get serious."

Just then Professor Wizgiz, hopped past the room, "Oh, there you are, Avalon," said the leprechaun, "The Winx are back. Faragonda has called a special assembly."

"She has?" Avalon asked, "I'll be there presently."

As Wizgiz hopped away, Avalon smiled insidiously to himself, "yes, playtime is over. Now the real fun begins."

* * *

Almost immediately after arriving back at Alfea, and after saying goodbye to Sky and the other Specialists, Faragonda approached Bloom and The Winx and told them to go to the auditorium for a special assembly. She didn't tell The Winx or our heroes why, just to be there. Carmen and Elise said that they had things to take care of back at Cloud Tower, so they took Elise's collapsible car back to their school.

In a short time, the entire student body and staff of Alfea was in the auditorium, waiting on Faragonda. Bloom and her friends were seated in the front row of the tiered seating area, with Sora, Riku, Kairi and Tess sitting behind them. On a raised dais in the middle was the teachers. The headmistress stood up and spoke, "Students and staff of Alfea," said Faragonda, "we are gathered here today to honor and congratulate five very special young ladies," she indicated Bloom, Stella, Musa, Tecna and Aisha, "all of whom had just completed their Charmix transformations."

At that The Winx smiled brightly. Faragonda then continued to the other fairies in training, "I'm sure that the rest of you students will do your best to follow in their footsteps. Only by emulating the hard work and dedication of The Winx, can we all protect everything we hold dear from the insidious Lord Darkar, whom is sure to launch an attack on the Magical Dimension. Please do not forget this, I cannot express the importance of the situation.

"So, to all of you, fairies of the future, work hard, be diligent and most of all, keep the light in your hearts, for a heart full of light can withstand even the worst darkness."

At that everyone in the auditorium clapped and cheered.

"As a consequence," said Faragonda, "I've asked the staff to step up the intensity of their curriculum. All of us will need to work together in harmony if we are to overcome the terrible threat that looms over the entire Magical Dimension."

"Which means," said Griselda as she stood up, "that playtime is officially over."

"Since when has it ever been playtime with you?" someone in the audience called out, causing the rest of the students and a few teachers to laugh.

"I heard that!" snapped Griselda, "see me after the assembly to discuss your detention. As for the rest of you, back to class at once! Anyone I see lollygagging or not doing their best shall receive double homework for a week. Now get to it!"

At that the students hurried out of the auditorium, "typical," said Stella, "the second we get back, it's back to the old grindstone."

"Well, we did miss a lot of schoolwork while on vacation," said Musa.

"It was necessary," said Stella.

"Well now comes the fun part," said Tecna, "making up for it."

"We'd help if we could," said Kairi.

"It's okay," said Bloom, "this is our responsibility."

"We can at least watch," said Riku, "King Mickey sent us here to learn about your ways of magic as well."

"Sounds like a winning plan to me," said Aisha. With that they headed for the auditorium exit.

"Not you and your friends, Bloom," said Faragonda, "I'd like a quick word with you, and The Keyblade Wielders."

"What's up, Ms. F?" Musa asked.

"I just want to say how glad that you all are free of the discord spell," said Faragonda, "I fear that Darkar has yet to show us the worst of what he can do, so you Winx shall have to show him the best you can do in return."

"Convergence spells," said Bloom, "we'll do our best."

"So will we," said Sora, while Riku, Kairi and Tess nodded.

"One can't ask for anything more," said Faragonda, "now, Sora, I'm giving you and your friends free reign of the classrooms so you can experience the Alfea curriculum firsthand."

"Make sure you take notes in my class," said Griselda, "I dislike explaining things twice."

"Will do, ma'am," said Riku.

"We'll keep notes in all the classes," said Kairi, while Sora and Tess nodded in agreement.

* * *

Over the next few hours, our heroes moved from class to class and observed the teaching process at Alfea.

In Professor Wizgiz's class, they saw the leprechaun teach the students about transformation spells. Wizgiz then put Bloom and The Winx through an attack scenario where he was the bag guy and tried to blast them. The Winx countered with a spell where they combined their powers and reflected the attack spell back at the leprechaun, knocking him down, but he soon got back up and gave Bloom and the others the thumbs up, while Sora, Riku, Kairi and Tess took notes.

In Professor Palladium's class, the elf teacher directed The Winx in a different exercise, where the five fairies passed a spell between them, each of them adding their unique magic to the Convergence spell until it was ready. The five of them then launched the spell at a 12ft tall large statue. It impacted in with a burst of dust, and when it cleared, the statue had shrank to the size of an action figure. Palladium gave The Winx full marks. Again, Sora and the others took notes.

"I never realized how physically intense Alfea was," said Kairi as they exited the classroom and headed to the next one.

"Well, we do have wings after all," said Stella.

"I can't even begin to imagine what goes on at the other magic schools we'll be visiting," said Tess, "that and whatever else we'll have to do to be Keyblade Masters."

"You think we've got it tough at Alfea?" Tecna asked, "this is only Charmix level schoolwork. There's another level to our powers, Enchantix, but we're not even supposed to know about it until next year."

"How do you know about it then?" Tess asked.

At that Tecna blushed a bit, "I sort of peeked at the advanced curriculum a while back, just so we would know the general idea of what to expect."

"You think things have been tough for us now," said Musa, "you ain't seen nothing yet."

"I wish you all the luck in the multi-verse," said Riku.

Just then Aisha's mobile chimed with an incoming text, "it's from Flora," she said, "she could use my help at Pixy Village."

"Go," said Bloom, "I'll talk to Griselda, she'll understand."

"And if she doesn't," said Stella, "well…"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," said Musa.

"Right," said Aisha, "and thanks," with that she ran to the outside.

"She's definitely come out of her shell," said Musa.

"And how," said Bloom.

* * *

The next class was Griselda's, in which the deputy headmistress was instructing The Winx in a series of advanced potion brews, while Sora, Riku, Kairi and Tess once again took notes.

"I'm writing it all down," said Sora, "but none of it makes any sense."

"It's all Greek to me," said Kairi, "and I'm supposed to be the one who studied while you were asleep for a year."

"This is more of Aiden's thing," said Tess.

"It certainly isn't Stella's," said Riku.

True enough, Stella was laboring over which ingredient to add next to her simmering cauldron, while Griselda stood behind her in a hounding manner,

"With all due respect, Ms. Griselda," said Stella, "I'm not going to blow up the potions lab again, so please stop breathing down my neck? It's hard enough to concentrate as it is."

"She is trying her best, Ms. Griselda," said Tecna, who had already finished her potion and was helping Bloom and Aisha finish theirs, while Musa was almost done with hers.

"I realize she is trying," said Griselda, "but with Stella, I'm not taking any chances."

"What exactly is this you're making?" Riku asked.

"Something for you Keyblade Wielders," said Griselda, "it's only a matter of time before we'll have to take the fight to Darkar, which means taking a trip into Shadowhaunt."

"That place is some seriously bad vibes about it," said Musa, "it drains good magic and boosts dark magic."

"When we tried to go down there to rescue the pixies," said Bloom, "only Stella, Aisha and myself could go."

"We tried out a simulation of Shadowhaunt in The Magical Reality Chamber," said Tecna, "but Flora, Musa and I couldn't handle the negative energies, it sapped out magic before we could react."

"And when we went down there," said Stella, "we barely had enough magic to remain transformed for a few minutes at a time. I'm ashamed to admit it, but The Trix wiped the floor with us."

"We would have been done for, if Professor Avalon hadn't shown up," said Bloom, "he forced The Trix away, then went after Darkar."

"He never did tell us what happened after he left," said Tecna, "he showed up at Alfea a few days later to start teaching."

"Since then, he and Bloom have been pretty much inseparable," teased Stella.

"Stop it, Stella," said Bloom in an annoyed tone, "I am not infatuated with Professor Avalon."

"Then how come you're always so eager to have private sessions with him?" Musa teased, "or is Sky right to be jealous?"

"No," said Bloom, "Professor Avalon is just helping me be the best that I can be, that's all. He's done nothing but try to bring out my full potential."

"You must really admire him," said Kairi.

"Well, yeah," said Bloom, "I mean, yes, we have spent a lot of time together, but only on a professional level. He has never treated me any more than as a student and a friend and has done nothing but help me, so yes, I admire him.

"If he's so great," said Riku, "then how come when you were possessed by that demon, he thought it was just a virus that changed your personality?"

At that Bloom was lost for words for a few seconds, "well…he must have made a mistake. I never said he was perfect."

"Even teachers make mistakes sometimes," said Kairi.

"True," said Griselda hesitantly, "but we try our best. Now, assuming the potion brewing has been successful so far, it should need to simmer for a few hours before it will be ready to be consumed. It it's been made correctly, then you Keyblade Wielders will need it to use your full powers in Shadowhaunt."

"Sounds good," said Kairi.

"But what if it's been done wrong?" Tess asked in a slightly nervous tone.

"Then pretty much anything can happen," said Griselda.

"Oh great," said Tess.

* * *

A short time later they were all in a different classroom with Professor Avalon, who had a large blue urn beside him.

"Now, to begin," said Avalon, "Professor Griselda and I both agree that the only way you Winx can master your new powers, to gain full control over your Charmix, is to deal with real hazards."

"We'll start with you taking up positions over here," said Griselda as she indicated a spot on the classroom floor. Bloom, Stella, Musa and Tecna, walked over, while Sora, Riku, Kairi and Tess stood to the side, taking notes.

"Now," said Avalon as he dipped his hand into the urn and pulled out a fistful of some sort of sparkly substance, "this is special willow leaf powder, which deputy headmistress Griselda and I shall administer to you Winx," he then sprinkled some of the powder Musa, earning a shocked look form her, while Bloom, Stella and Tecna giggled.

"Girls!" said Griselda in a reprimanding manner, "this is a very serious exercise, so I wouldn't laugh if I were in your shoes." At that the giggling fairies got serious and stopped laughing.

"What's that stuff supposed to do?" Sora asked as Avalon and Griselda administered some of the dust to Tecna, Bloom and Stella.

"It'll copy some of their energies," said Avalon, "and you'll see the results soon enough," he then chanted a spell. The dust on the four fairies flashed and rose up into the air, condensing into the form of a green female humanoid with a large afro and wings that was made of pure energy.

"Uh, Griselda?" Musa asked in a dumbfounded tone, while Bloom, Tecna and Stella also looked at the energy creature in confusion, "what are we supposed to do with that thing?"

"Battle if of course," said Griselda, while Avalon walked up to the creature and channeled some energy into it, "this exercise is to determine your ability to fend off a foe of your own creation."

"And how's that supposed to help them get stronger?" Tess asked.

"I'll answer that with a question of my own," said Avalon, "how can you defeat an enemy if you cannot defeat yourself?"

"Our own worst enemies, right?" Bloom asked as she smiled eagerly, while Stella looked like she would rather be doing something more enjoyable. "Well, I'd say we've all been through that already."

"Then let's see how you'll fair here," said Griselda, "overcoming this type of opponent is a matter of discipline, something you, Ms. Stella, are seriously lacking."

"Hey, I've got plenty of discipline!" said Stella in an annoyed tone as she placed her fists on her hips, "I just don't use it all the time, that's all."

"Well, this is the perfect time for you to practice it," said Griselda.

"Alright," said Avalon as he finished channeling energy into the creature, "if I were in your position, Winx, I would transform right now, and get ready to do battle with a most worthy adversary!" At that the creature came alive, baring fangs and snarling at Bloom and the others. Avalon and Griselda stood back as the creature stalled towards The Winx.

"I don't think it likes us," said Musa nervously.

"Then let's show it what we're made of!" said Bloom confidently. The four of them then shouted, "Magic Winx!" and transformed.

"I'm never going to get used to this," said an amazed Tess as she, Sora, Riku and Kairi watched the fairies' transformation ended. Stella and Musa took to the air, while Bloom and Tecna remained on the ground, all of them in defensive postures.

The energy creature then summoned a pair of fireballs and threw them at Stella and Musa, knocking them both out of the air.

"A bad start," said Griselda, "you girls are going to have to do much, much better than that if you ever want to defeat Darkar."

"We know!" said Stella as she and Musa struggled to get back up, "Bloom! Whenever you're ready!"

"Let's do it, everyone!" said Bloom as the four fairies clustered together. But the energy creature teleported behind them and blasted all four of them to the ground.

"No fair!" said Sora to Avalon, "you never said that that thing could teleport.

"I never said it couldn't either," said Avalon.

"It's all part of the exam, young Keyblade Wielder," said Griselda, "we never said it would be easy, but it's still fair."

Stella was the first to get back up and take flight again, while Musa, Bloom and Tecna also stood up.

"Come on, girls!" said Musa, "let's show this cheep imitation what we're made of! Charmix time!"

"Charmix!" shouted Bloom, Stella and Tecna. In a flash of magic, their Charmix pins and accessories appeared, with Tecna's purse looking like a combination walkman and computer, while Bloom's purse was shaped like a fuzzy pink heart.

Musa took flight and shot a concentrated sound wave at the creature. It hit the thing and caused it to flicker for a second before resuming solid form, but it laughed it off like it was a tickle.

Tecna then shot a green spell that imprisoned the creature in cage made of glowing data, "Yes!" she said triumphantly, "it's trapped in a mental puzzle! The only way out is to find the answer!"

"My turn!" said Bloom as she shot a spell that enhanced the green cage with fire.

"Alright!" said Stella eagerly as she powered up a blindly bright spell, "take this!" she then shot the spell at the creature, engulfing it in blazing light.

"We've got it now!" said Tecna, "it's trapped in a burning data structure."

"And it can't see," said Stella.

"Finish it off, Musa!" said Bloom.

Musa then shot another concentrated sound wave that blasted the creature into dust.

"Yeah! Nailed that thing!" said Sora, while Kairi, Riku and Tess cheered loudly.

"Well done, girls," said Avalon as he walked forward, "nice work, all around."

"You really think so, Professor?" Bloom as she looked at Avalon with adoring eyes.

"Professional relationship my eye," muttered Riku.

"She's so crushing on him," muttered Kairi.

"And what do you think, Ms. Griselda?" Stella asked in a hopeful tone, "how did we do?"

At that Griselda gave Stella a rare smile, "I must say, I'm surprised at the amount of progress you and your friends have shown today, especially you, Stella. I don't say this too often, but I'm proud of you, you've become a credit to the school."

"You really mean it?" a joyful Stella asked.

"Indeed," said Griselda.

"I had to see it to believe it," said a dumbfounded Musa.

"Stella receiving praise from Griselda," said Tecna, "I never thought it was possible."

"Only in The Magical Dimension," said Bloom.

Just then one of the other Alfea students walked in, saying that there was a message from Pixy Village, for The Winx.

"It's from Aisha and Flora!" said Bloom, "it's got to be!"

"I hope The Pixies are alright," said Musa as the four fairies powered down to their normal attire and ran out of the room.

"I'll take it that class is dismissed," said Kairi.

"Indeed," said Griselda, "for now. There's still much to do."

"I don't know how much more I can take," said Tess as she, Sora, Riku and Kairi left the room, "my hand is cramping."

"Mine too," said Sora as he rubbed his writing hand. But as the left the classroom, Sora saw Riku, who was suspiciously glancing back at Avalon.

"There's something…odd about Avalon," said Riku, "he just seems too good to be true."

* * *

A short time later found The Winx and our heroes outside Faragonda's office. Bloom knocked on the door and the headmistress bade them to enter.

"There you are," said Faragonda as she sat at her desk. Projecting from the desk was a magic hologram showing Flora and Madam Ninfia, "our friends at Pixy Village were just telling me that they're trying their best to heal The Tree of Life, but so far nothing they've done has succeeded. I was just telling Flora that she has what it takes to cure The Tree of Life of its ailments."

"I don't even know where to start, Ms. Faragonda," said Flora in a depressed tone, "we know so little about what Darkar did to enhance the powers of The Trix, I can't even imagine what Icy's evil has done to The Tree of Life. Besides, I'm the only Winx who hasn't gotten her Charmix yet."

"Regardless, Flora," said Faragonda, "you are the fairy of Nature, gifted with a higher level of empathy."

"I know," said Flora, "but if I should make the slightest of mistakes, The Tree of Life will die and it'll be all my fault."

"Oh come on!" said Stella in an annoyed tone, "this is the worst time to play the blame game."

"And you haven't even done anything yet," said Musa.

"Giving up before you even try," said Kairi, "not an effective habit of a successful person."

"Doing nothing will kill the plant just as effectively as making a mistake," said Tess.

* * *

_…Pixy Village…_

"Truer words couldn't have been spoken, Ms. Thatcher," said Faragonda as she spoke to Flora and Ninfea through a magical projection, "albeit harsh words, but true nonetheless."

Just then Aiden walked up and poked his head into the projection, "hey, there's a baby alligator with wings hovering around the village, did you guys know that?"

Morgan then poked her head into the projection, "that was a Pixy Pet, long story."

"If you two don't mind," said an annoyed Ninfia.

"Oh, sorry," said Aiden. He and Morgan then removed themselves from the projection, "you're having a conference."

"No ifs, ands or buts, Flora," said Faragonda, "If you want to help your friends, yourself and save The Tree of Life, you'll have to act. Trust yourself and you cannot fail."

"Alright, I'll try," said Flora, "I don't know what I'm going to do yet, but I'll try."

"That's all that anyone can ask," said Faragonda.

"Good luck!" shouted Musa.

"And if you can't find any luck," said Sora, "make some of your own."

"We've been doing that a lot," said Riku.

"It's true," said Aiden as the projection closed up, "we probably wouldn't have lasted half as long as we did if we didn't have our own luck."

"Luck is important," said Brandon as he and the Specialists sat nearby, holding the afflicted Pixies in their arms, "but so is hard work and skill."

"That too," said Morgan.

"Well," said Lockette in between sneezes, "we're pretty much out of luck."

"Then we'll find some more," said Chatta between sniffles, "now, who's turn is it to have their cards read?"

"Jolly did mine last," said Digit.

Jolly was The Pixy of Fortune Telling. She had light purple eyes and wore a teal-green and hot pink jester's outfit, and was currently sitting in front of The Specialists and bonded pixies, shuffling a deck of tarot cards.

"Let's see what the cards say about Amore's future," said Jolly as she dealt a few cards, "oh dear, they say that Amore's never going to get well."

"What?" Amore asked in a horrified tone. She then began crying.

"Oh, now you've done it," said Aisha, "they're upset enough as it is."

"That wasn't very nice of you, Jolly," said Livi as she hovered nearby on her parchment surfboard, "you should make up nicer fortunes."

"I don't decide how fortunes turn out," said Jolly as she transfigured one of the cards into a tissue, "I can't help it if it's a bad one," she then hovered up to and handed the tissue to Amore.

"Well, sometimes the truth hurts more than a lie," said Aisha.

"Whatever you're going to do," said Aiden to Flora, "do it soon."

"I'm still trying to figure out what to do," said Flora.

"If you can't think of a plan then just go by your instincts," said Morgan, "the stars know I've survived long on mine."

"Yeah, instincts," said Aiden, "that'll work, I hope."

"Just do your best, Flora," said Ninfia, "please, try. No one will blame you if you don't succeed."

"Alright," said Flora, "I'll try," she closed her eyes in concentration, and powered up a spell, but then she opened her eyes and glanced back at Helia, losing her concentration, "it's no use, I can't even tell the sick parts of the tree from the healthy ones."

"That's it," moaned Lockette, "we're done for."

"Might as well dig our graves now," said Digit.

"You're not finished yet, Flora," said Morgan, "you can't give up now. I've seen you do incredible things, and I helped on one of them. Remember last year, when Mirta was turned into a pumpkin by The Trix, and you spent so long trying to figure out how to help her? You never gave up and in the end you saved her."

"I had a lot of help on that," said Flora, "and where is Mirta? I haven't heard from her since the debacle at Cloud Tower."

"Oh, she said she had to take care of something from home," said Morgan, "she didn't say what, only that she needed a few days. She'll be back soon. But as for you, you're too good a person to let Icy win on anything. As Carmen would say, 'don't let the frosty bitch win!'"

"If you give up now," said Aiden, "you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"You can do it, Flora!" said Morgan, "I believe in you. Trust yourself."

"Trust your heart," said Aiden, "and you can't fail."

"They're right," said Helia as he walked up to Flora, "I too believe in you. Trust your heart." He then placed his hands on her shoulders in a reassuring manner, "trust your heart."

This caused Flora to have a burst of confidence. She stood up, "alright, here goes everything. Magic Winx!" in a flash of green light she had transformed.

Flora then channeled everything she had into this one spell, causing The Tree of Life to glow brightly.

"It's incredible," said Digit as she scanned the area with her computer, "Flora's magical output has gone way up."

"You're so powerful, Flora, you're the best!" shouted Chatta in an encouraging manner, while the other bonded pixies also cheered Flora on.

"But is it working?" Sky asked.

Just then the flower of the Tree opened with a burst of small green leaves that floated around the village. This caused all the pixies in the village to cheer happily.

"I guess it worked," said Aiden as he and Morgan looked around at the leaves.

"These leaves are the cure," said Aisha, "let's get as many as we can so we can brew it up!"

A short while later the leaves had been prepared into a tea and served to the bonded pixies.

"I feel better already," said Lockette after she downed her share of the cure, "much better."

"Yeah," said Chatta as she finished hers, "this tea is good."

Aisha handed Digit her share just in time to stop the Pixy of Technology from sneezing. She drank the tea and smiled brightly, then looked at her computer, "look at that, 98.2% better!"

Just then one of the other pixies of the village drank some of the tea. Being perfectly healthy, the pixy was affected defiantly and started glowing brightly, causing everyone to laugh.

"Anyone else want to try some?" Flora asked.

"And start glowing in the dark?" Brandon asked, "no thanks." This caused everyone to laugh again.

"Hey, look!" said Lockette as she pointed at The Tree of Life. The large flower glowed and from it's blossom emerged a new pixy.

"This is so awesome!" said an overjoyed Livi, "the Tree of Life is giving birth again!"

"Bizarre," said Brandon as he and his fellow Specialists, as well as Morgan and Aiden, watched as another new pixy emerged from the large flower, "this sure isn't what they taught us in health class."

"This is how Pixies are born," said Ninfia, "as well as Pixy Pets." As if to prove her point, a tiny kitten with wings, followed by a tiny bear cub with wings, emerged from the large flower.

"If only this was how Sea Monkeys worked," said Morgan.

"You've got Sea Monkeys in this universe?" Aiden asked, "I thought they only existed on my world and Sora's."

"They're just brine shrimp," said Morgan, "but I could never get mine to live for very long," she then looked somewhat depressed, "I buried a lot of Sea Monkeys when I was young."

"Well, mission accomplished," said Sky, "should we head back to school?"

"Good idea," said Brandon, "it's only a matter of time before Cordatorta sends out a search party for us." He then looked at Flora, Aisha, Morgan and Aiden, "Anyone need a lift?"

"We'll stay for a bit longer," said Aisha.

"Some of us have questions," said Morgan.

"Yeah," said Aiden, "Like how a plant can create life like the pixies?"

"It's all part of how magic works, young alchemist and young witch," said Ninfia, "I'll try to explain as best I can."

"I'll try to understand," said Aiden, "but no promises." At that Morgan nodded in agreement.

As Aiden and Morgan listened to Ninfia, they saw out of the corner of their eyes that Flora was looking fondly at Healia as he, Brandon and Sky headed towards the cruiser, but when Helia looked back, Flora shyly looked away.

"Flora," said Aisha, "aren't you going to say goodbye to the boys?"

At that Flora was at a lost for words, but the Chatta flew up to her, "Flora, this is it!" said the Pixies of Cheers, "your chance to talk to Helia."

"But…" said Flora hesitantly.

"You heard what Faragonda told you," Chatta interrupted, "no ifs, ands or buts. Go talk to Helia, now before it's too late." At that she began nudging Flora forward.

"But he's leaving," said Flora, "and he didn't even say goodbye to me."

"Did you ever take into account that he's just as shy as you are?" Chatta asked, "you've got to move!" By now the boys were at the cruiser, but they stopped to check out some sort of mechanical fault in the ship, "look, they haven't left yet. Go talk to Helia already!"

"I…I…" said Flora.

"Oh for love of the darkness!" said an irate Morgan. She then looked at Ninfa, "excuse me, I've an idiot to admonish." With that she hurried towards Flora.

"Ditto," said Aiden as he hurried towards Flora.

"Have you lost your mind?" Morgan asked Flora, "you like him, he obviously likes you, so why haven't you hooked up yet? I'll tell you way, because you're afraid of rejection."

"That's a little harsh, don't you think?" Chatta asked.

"Sometimes you have to be harsh," said Morgan, "life isn't all giggles and fun, you have to get serious sometimes. Well, I'm being serious now; I don't like it but it has to be done. If you like Helia, I mean really, really like him, then you've got to risk rejection."

"You've got to take the plunge or you'll never get anywhere," said Aiden, "there were about a dozen or so women in my village that I know of who died as cranky old spinsters, all because they were too afraid to risk it all for love."

"Is that what you want to be, Flora?" Morgan asked, "a cranky old spinster?"

"No," said Flora in a frustrated tone.

"Then go tell Helia how you feel!" said Morgan.

"The worst he can do is say no," said Aiden, "if that's the case, then he's not the right one for you and you can look for someone else."

"Now get to it!" said Morgan, "In the name of love, get to it!"

At that Flora nodded, her expression a mixture of nervousness and confidence as she ran over to the boys, whom seemed to have tracked down the problem with the cruiser and fixed it somewhat.

"It's the primary EPS Manifold," said Sky, "they keep conking out on Red Fountain Ships."

"We are so suing the manufacturer," said Brandon as he and Sky boarded the cruiser, while Helia got into the fighter. They then powered up and took off, just as Flora reached the clearing and shouted after Helia.

"Oh no," said Chatta in a defeated tone, "we were too late."

"I thought my motivation speech would've worked," said Morgan, "it was a good speech, right?"

"I heard it," said Aisha as she walked over, "I thought it was good."

But then Helia's fighter stopped in midair and returned to the ground, with him having noticed Flora shouting after him.

"Don't give up yet, Morgan," said Aiden, "I think you may have saved Flora from becoming a cranky old spinster."

"Oh no," said a very nervous Flora, "he heard me, but what do I say to him now?"

"Just be yourself," said Chatta as she flew behind Flora, while Helia got out of the fighter and walked over. "Just tell him how you feel."

"Come on," whispered Aisha as she, Morgan and Aiden took cover behind a tree, "don't choke now."

"Umm…hey," said Flora to Helia.

"Hey," he said in response, "you looked like you wanted to tell me something."

"Uh…yeah, I did," said Flora. She then swallowed nervously, "I…I just wanted to say…I mean, I wanted to thank you for what you did just now in curing The Tree of Life."

"You're the one who deserves all our thanks," said Helia, "if if weren't for you, then The Tree of Life wouldn't have had a chance."

"I…wanted to tell you this in person," said Flora, "it's just that…"

"She's choking," said Morgan in a disappointed tone.

"And Chatta looks like she's about to blow a gasket," said Aiden, observing that the Pixy of Cheers was on the verge of losing her temper.

Just then Brandon's voice could be heard from a loudspeaker on the cruiser as it hovered overhead, "What's the matter, Heila? Technical problems?"

"That's so funny I forgot to laugh," said Sky.

"Please, go on, Flora," said Helia.

"I just wanted…I mean…" said Flora, but she couldn't find the words, while Chatta was closer and closer to blowing her top.

"Maybe this isn't the time," said Helia, "but thanks, anyway." With that he turned and walked back to the fighter.

"But I…" said Flora, yet again the words failed her.

At that Chatta fulfilled Aiden's prophecy of blowing a gasket, "oh you stupid, stupid, stupid…!" she exclaimed.

"I guess he really doesn't feel the same way about me," said Flora.

"What's the matter with you!" shouted Morgan, "are you really this dumb!"

"Trust your heart!" shouted Aisha.

"Oh forget it," said Aiden in a defeated tone, "if she wants to be a cranky old spinster, who are we to stand in her way?"

"For crying out loud, Flora!" said Chatta, "what are you, a fairy or a flea?"

At that, something seemed to click inside Flora's mind and heart. Just as Helia was about to get into the cockpit of the fighter, Flora ran up to him, "Helia! I love you!" she shouted.

This caused Aisha, Morgan and Aiden's jaws to fall open, while up in the cruiser, Sky and Brandon were also thunderstruck.

"What?" Helia asked as he turned around.

"I love you," said Flora, "I've loved you since we first met at Red Fountain and I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since. I love our kindness, your compassion, your love for nature and your gift for drawing, I love it all, and I love you the most."

"I love you too, Flora," said a happily smiling Helia, "I love your own kindness, your empathy, your connection with nature and everything else, but I live you the most." He then blew Flora a kiss, which she accepting with an expression of being on Cloud 9.

"Yes! Yes! You did it Flora!" cheered Chatta.

"It's a bout time!" Morgan said triumphantly. She then whirled on Aiden, "pay up, alchemist boy!"

"Pay you what?" Aiden asked.

At that Morgan hesitated for a second, "didn't we have a bet going?"

"No," said Aiden, "none that I remember."

"Oh," said Morgan in a deflated tone. She then looked at Aisha.

"We didn't have a bet either," said Aisha.

"Don't look at us," said Amore, while the other pixies shook their heads.

"Huh," said Morgan, "well, my bad then."

Just then a large, looped pin with a pink jewel in the middle, appeared on Flora's shirt, then vanished, causing Flora to laugh with joy and embrace Chatta.

"Was that…?" Aiden asked.

"Flora just earned her Charmix!" Aisha happily.

"Did we have a bet going on that?" Morgan asked.

"No," said Aiden, Aisha and all of the pixies together.

"Huh," said Morgan again, "well, there's another bad one on me. But don't tell Carmen and Elise."

"My lips are sealed," said Aiden.

* * *

_…Alfea…_

"So you were stuck in that energy draining machine while Sora, Riku and Tess couldn't use their Keyblades?" Tecna asked, "That's horrible!"

"If I ever meet that Gideon jerk," said Stella, "I'd show him a thing or two!"

"Sorry to disappoint you," said Kairi, "but Gideon's dead for good, we hope."

"And if we're lucky," said Sora, "Maleficent's not coming back."

"Was she really that bad?" Tecna asked.

"She wasn't called The Mistress of all Evil for nothing," said Kairi.

Just then Musa ran up to them, "I just heard from Faragonda! Flora fixed The Tree of Life and cured the pixies! They'll all be back at Alfea soon."

"That's wonderful!" said Kairi.

"I can hardly wait to see Amore again, said Stella.

Just then they saw someone wearing a long blue cloak emerge from the woods opposite the school gates. He crossed the boundary and collapsed onto the school grounds.

"What the…?" exclaimed Stella as she, Musa and Tecna, followed by Sora and Kairi, ran over to see if he was alright. They were all shocked when they saw the face of the man.

"Professor Avalon?" Stella asked.

The man was a dead ringer for the teacher, except for the fact that he looked like he had just crawled his way out of hell. "Please," he said in a voice that was barely above a whisper, "tell me, have I reached Alfea?"

"Uh…yeah," said Sora.

"Faragonda!" said the man who looked like Avalon, "I must speak with her, it's a matter of life or death!" with that he passed out.

At that Sora, Kairi and the three fairies were left speechless for a second. Eventually, Stella ran back towards the main building of the school, "I'll go get some water!" she said.

"I don't think he needs water," said Kairi, but Stella was already halfway across the courtyard.

"This is really weird," said Musa, "I've never known Professor Avalon to act this way."

"As if that wasn't enough," said Tecna, "we just saw Professor Avalon exactly fifteen minutes ago and he was perfectly fine. Now, he shows up from outside the school, in a different outfit and in this state, this doesn't compute at all."

"Maybe this is one of Professor Wizgiz's clones," said Musa, "he lets them lose from time to time."

"That's logical," said Tecna in a contemplative manner, "but why would the clone be so traumatized? No, something else is at work here. I'll go get a teacher."

"We'll keep watch," said Sora, while Kairi and Musa nodded in agreement.

* * *

Riku was trying to find the school kitchen for a snack when he saw Stella running down the hallway, carrying a glass of water. He hid behind a corner as he watched Stella met up with Professor Avalon.

"Oh, there you are," said Stella in a relieved and cheerful tone as she walked up to the professor, "you're looking much better. Well, here's your water," she handed the glass to Avalon, who took it from her.

"Oh, thank you," said Avalon in a slightly unsure tone, "I was feeling thirsty."

"If you don't mind my asking," said Stella as Avalon drank the water, "what happened to you just now? Did you see Faragonda? And what was so important that would make you say it was a matter of life or death?"

Riku would later swear that he saw Avalon's right hand, the one holding the glass of water, shake. "Oh, it was of no major importance," said Avalon in a nervous tone, as if he was trying to make up a big lie on the spot, "just a series of unfortunate events. Thank you for the water," he handed the glass back to Stella, "but I must be going," he then walked away briskly, passing by Riku without seeing him.

"He's so nice to me, even though I'm failing his class," said Stella to herself. She then smiled cheerfully, "maybe he'll pass me after all!" with that she walked away.

Riku briefly pondered just how much of an airhead Stella really was, but then remembered his suspicions about Avalon. He looked around but the professor was nowhere to be seen.

"There's something going on here," he said, "something big."

* * *

"He's coming around again!" said Kairi as the man who looked like Avalon tried to sit up, "take it easy, you look like you've been through a lot."

"What I've been through is of little consequence," said the man who looked like Avalon, "I must see Faragonda!" At that he struggled to stand up.

"You shouldn't exert yourself, Professor Avalon," said Musa, "is there anything I can do to help?"

"Forgive me for asking," said the man who looked like Avalon as Musa helped put his arm around her shoulder for support, "but…do I know you?"

"Well," said Musa in a slightly taken aback tone, "I'm one of Avalon's…I mean, one of your students, remember?"

"But…I haven't started my teaching position at Alfea yet," said the man.

"But of course you have," said Musa, "everyone at Alfea knows you, you've been here all semester."

"No," said the man, "it couldn't have been me. All this time I've been held prisoner in Lord Darkar's dungeon."

"No way!" said Sora.

Just then, Sora heard Riku's voice via telepathy, _:Sora, I know how everyone says that Avalon's been wonderful, but I just saw him acting very peculiar.:_

_:You saw him inside the school?: _Sora asked, _:well, it gets weirder. I'm seeing him right now, outside in the courtyard.:_

_:He couldn't have gotten outside that quickly,: _said Riku.

_:This is getting more bizarre by the second,: _said Kairi. She then spoke aloud, "Riku just told us he saw Avalon inside the school. There's no doubt about it, there's two Avalons."

"And if this one is the real Avalon," said Musa, "then who's been teaching at Alfea? We've got to see Faragonda, right now!"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" said the other Avalon as Kairi placed his other arm on her shoulder for support. They then helped him inside.

They met up with Tecna, "I'm still looking for Professor Wizgiz," said Tecna.

"This isn't one of his clones, Tecna," said Musa.

"There's two Avalons," said Kairi.

"It's true," said Riku as he, as well as Tess, ran up to them, "I saw the other one just now."

"Alright, no more beating around the bush," said Kairi, "it's straight to the headmistress' office!"

* * *

A short time later they were in Faragonda's office. The other Avalon had shed his cloak and was wearing the same white suit the first Avalon was wearing, and was now sitting across from Faragonda at her desk and was telling his story to the headmistress.

"So there I was, trapped in Darkar's dungeon," said the other Avalon, "chained to the wall with a cursed mask on my face that prevented me from using magic to escape. But it didn't stop me from casting a spell on myself. I turned myself into a liquid and flowed out of my chains, under the door and into the corridor, where I resumed my normal shape. I then made my way out side and took a leap of faith into the underground river below the castle, which carried me far away from Shadowhaunt. As soon as my strength began to recover, I made my way back to the surface. From there I trekked to Alfea. The rest is history."

"This is quite a tale," said Faragonda to the other Avalon, "and you've been in Darkar's dungeon for how long?"

"I lost count of the days long ago," said the other Avalon, "at least several months, I'm not sure."

"This is too weird to be true," said Musa, "how can there be two of them?"

"I know what I saw," said Riku, "what I can't believe was how Stella couldn't tell the difference between this man and the one she ran into in the hallway."

"That's our Stella for you," said Tecna, "she can be a little thick headed sometimes. But we love her all the same."

"I'm not surprised that you were all fooled by the imposter," said the other Avalon, "he is a Doppelganger, created by Darkar to be my exact double in every physical detail, as well as copy all my knowledge of magic and my memories."

"And yet you claim to be the real Avalon," said Faragonda in a suspicious tone, "do you have any evidence of your identity? Or do you expect me to just take your word for it?"

The other Avalon then pulled out a parchment letter and placed it on Faragonda's desk, "I'm sure you'll recognize this. It's the letter you wrote to me about my teaching position at Alfea. It's signed by you."

"It's my handwriting alright," said Faragonda as she read the letter, "and my signature is a spot on match. There's no doubt about it. This is the real Avalon, and we have a spy in our midst."

"But the Avalon we know can't be a Doppelganger that Darkar made," said Musa, "he's a good teacher, a great teacher, who's helped us out more than once during the school year."

"True," said Faragonda, "but remember, according to Bloom, Stella and Aisha, Avalon first showed up in Shadowhaunt, quite a coincidence if you ask me."

"And remember what Bloom said about that mission," said Tecna, "they never figured out why Darkar seemed to let The Pixies go. It was all part of Dakar's deception."

"And there were other incidences," said Faragonda as she stood up and began pacing, "there was the time the Pixies fell under a homesickness spell, the time Bloom was possessed by a demon…"

"But it doesn't make sense," said Musa, "Avalon tired to help Bloom. I mean, sure, he thought she was infected by a personality changing virus, but he tried."

"But he failed," said Faragonda, "just when Sora and his friends showed up. I believe I understand now. Had the Keyblade Wielders not arrived, then Carmen and her friends wouldn't have become involved in the incident, leaving Avalon free to try his own exorcism spell and take all the credit. But such a complex exorcism ritual couldn't have been done at the drop of a hat. He had to have had the ritual at hand, meaning he was the one who put the demon inside of Bloom in the first place!"

"So he's done all of this to earn our trust?" Musa asked.

"He was able to fool us all," said Tecna, "it's a logical plan."

"But we've learned so much from him," said Musa, "but why? He was such a great teacher."

"Why would Darkar make a spy if all he was going to do was teach?" Sora asked.

"Darkar copied all of my memories into the Doppelganger," said the real Avalon, "he must have also copied all of my lesson plans as well."

"His overall goal was to find the four pieces of The Codex," said Faragonda, "the Doppelganger didn't consider you all that serious a threat, so he didn't mind remaining deep in his role as a teacher, especially if it meant gaining everyone's trust."

"And it worked," said Musa in a defeated tone, "Darkar now has all of The Codex."

"I feel like such a fool," said Tecna, "I had my suspicions about Avalon, I mean the fake Avalon, but I thought he was evil all on his own. I should have thought he was a spy sent by Darkar."

"There was no reason for you to consider that possibility," said Faragonda, "he fooled everyone, even me. But he hasn't won yet. He doesn't know that we know he's an impostor."

"Which gives us the advantage," said Musa in a much more determined tone, "he thinks he's got everything he came here for, so his guard will be down."

"He doesn't have everything," said Tecna, "Bloom. The Trix were after her before, they said that Darkar wants her."

"Where is Bloom?" Kairi suddenly asked in a worried tone.

"That's a very good question," said Faragonda, "one that we have to answer at once. I feel that she could be in grave danger."

Just then Stella ran into the room, carrying another glass of water, "hey everyone! What's all the big to do?" she then saw the real Avalon, "oh, hey, Professor."

"Stella!" shouted Musa and Tecna at the same time as they ran over to their friend, "where's Bloom?"

"I haven't seen her," said Stella in a matter of fact tone, "but you know, whenever she disappears these days, it's usually for a special session with Professor Avalon, but since he's here, I honestly don't know where she is."

_:I can't believe how much of an airhead she is,: _said Sora to Riku and Kairi.

_:You ain't kidding,: _said Riku.

Musa then grabbed Stella's arm, "come on, Bloom's in big trouble!" with that she hurried Stella out of the room, followed by Tecna, Sora, Riku and Kairi.

Outside in the corridor the three fairies transformed so they could cover more ground faster. Sora went with Stella, Riku went with Tecna and Kairi went with Musa. They searched the classrooms and hallways, but to no avail.

But then Musa heard something only she could hear, "That was Bloom!" she said, "something's scared her big time!"

She and Kairi hurried through the school corridors, meeting up with Sora, Riku, Stella and Tecna. "What happened?" Sora asked.

"I heard Bloom screaming!" said Musa, "she's in trouble!" She then pointed to a classroom, "I heard it coming from there!"

They burst into the classroom and saw Bloom, unconscious, and in the arms of the imposter Avalon, who had sprouted golden feathered wings and his face was marred by red lines.

"Imposter!" shouted Tecna.

The fake Avalon laughed cruelly, "you were right not to trust me, little fairy," he said viciously, "but your suspicious came too late."

"Let her go, you freakazoid!" shouted Sora as he, Riku and Kairi summoned their Keyblades, then rushed at the fake Avalon, but were stopped by an invisible barrier that was right in front of the imposter.

"Remember this moment, Keyblade brats!" said the fake Avalon, "for this is the moment when Lord Darkar reins triumphant!" With that he powered up a teleportation spell.

"NO!" shouted Kairi as she threw her Keyblade at the barrier with all her might, shattering it. She caught her Keyblade and ran forward, grabbing the imposter by the arm, just he finished casting the teleportation spell. He and Bloom, with Kairi as an unwanted passenger, vanished.

"Oh no," said Sora, "they're gone!"

"We were too late," said Stella in a defeated tone. She then saw a gold and blue item that was on the floor.

"What's that?" Riku asked.

"It's Bloom's," said Tecna as she picked up the item, which turned out to be an elaborately engraved gold disk, "she found it on Domino. It's what she's been keeping to remind her of her real parents."

* * *

"Well, that was one funky adventure," said Morgan as she, Aiden, Aisha, Flora and the bonded Pixies walked across the courtyard of the school, "one that I'd rather not repeat any time soon."

"You said it," remarked Aiden.

"It wasn't that bad," said Aisha, "one really good thing came about it, right, Flora?"

Flora smiled at Aisha in response. In truth, ever since she confessed her love to Helia, she hadn't stopped smiling, so this smile was much brighter.

"Hey, everyone!" shouted Flora as they approached the main building, "we're back!"

"And the pixies are all healed!" said Aisha.

"We're fit as fiddles!' said Chatta, "we've never felt more fiddler!"

"Wait, something's wrong," said Lockette, "I can't sense Bloom anywhere nearby. Where is she?"

It was then that Faragonda walked up to them with a grave expression on her face, "I wish I could give you all a warmer welcome, but I have bad news. We have all been deceived. Bloom has been abducted, and Kairi is missing as well."

"Well, that sucks," said Aiden in a dumbstruck tone, while Flora, Aisha and the Pixies looked shocked as well.

**The end of chapter 6.**

Next chapter finds things heading for the endgame for both sides. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. see you next time!


	7. Chapter 7: Battle Preperations

Last time found our heroes and allies returning from their vacation. They stopped over at Pixy Village, where they learned that not only does Darkar have the last piece of The Codex, but Icy's dark magic has afflicted the Tree of Life that sustains Pixy Village. After a massive confidence boost from her friends, Flora used her powers to heal The Tree, then after another confidence boost, confessed her love for Helia, which he happily reciprocated.

Back at Alfea, Sora and the gang sat in on a few classes as Bloom and her fellow Winx strengthened their new Charmix powers. But then it was discovered that the Professor Avalon whom had been teaching at Alfea had been an impostor sent by Darkar as a sleeper agent. The real Avalon showed up just as the Doppleganger made his move and kidnapped Bloom, but Kairi jumped after the creature, hitching a ride with him and Bloom to Shadowhaunt. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 7: Battle Preperations**

_…Shadowhaunt…_

"So that guy who attacked us earlier," said Stormy as she, Icy, Darcy, Xehanort and Sephiroth, gathered in the throne room, "that Paladin, Darkar caught him and locked him in the dungeons."

"And he sent a Doppelganger to Alfea to fool everyone there," said Darcy, "he even fooled us, and we're on the same side."

"And now he's coming back with Bloom," said Icy as she irately crossed her arms, "I don't know if I should like this guy, or hate him for doing our job for us."

"Your feelings are irrelevant, Icy," said Darkar, "for soon, the Doppelganger shall return with the red-headed prize."

Just then the fake Avalon teleported in, with the unconscious Bloom in his arms, as well as Kairi who had grabbed his shoulder.

The baddies in the room were left speechless by this sudden turn of events.

Stormy finally broke the silence, "Two redheads for the price of one, not bad."

Shouting in rage, Kairi punched the pommel of her Keyblade into the face of the fake Darkar. The Doppelganger cried out in pan as he released Bloom to clutch at his wounded face and stumble back.

Kairi caught Bloom and held her up in one arm while brandishing her Keyblade with her other hand, "it's going to be okay, Bloom," she said, "we're going to get out of here."

"Oh really?" Icy asked in a daring tone as she, Darcy and Stormy took offensive positions around Kairi and Bloom, "and just how are you going to do that?"

"You're miles underground in a place where good magic is weak," said Darcy, "while ours are stronger than ever!"

"Face it," said Stormy, "you ain't getting away from this."

"You'll find that I'm full of surprises!" said Kairi, "so, which of you wants to try me first?"

"Why bother," said Xehanort as he calmly walked forward, "even if you defeat one of The Trix, or even all of them, you will have exhausted yourself by then. Can you not feel it, Kairi? The very air you're breathing is weakening your powers. Shadowhaunt is a place of pure malevolence. Just how long do you, a young woman with a pure heart, can survive here?"

Already, Kairi was feeling her strength slowly draining away. Right now she felt just a little bit tired, but the loss of strength was starting to gain speed. She figured it wouldn't be much longer before she could barely get her Keyblade up.

"I'll still have enough to take you down, you horrible old man!" said Kairi, "so, who's first?"

"Permit me the honor," said Darkar as he stepped forward. He then shot a curst at Kairi. She tried to block it, but already her reflexes had slowed from the loss of energy. The curse hit her, inflicting massive amounts of pain through her whole body. She tried to endure it but it soon became too much. She gasped in pain and fell to the ground, dropping Bloom and her Keyblade.

"I admit," said Darkar, "you lasted longer against that curse that I expected. Your strength of will is commendable, if foolhardy."

"Shall I dispose of her, master," the Doppelganger of Avalon asked as he picked Bloom up and carried her over to a nearby stone table. He placed Bloom on the table and arranged her arms and legs so that dark magic bindings held her in place.

"Oh, let us take care of her, Lord Darkar," said Icy.

"We have a score to settle with this Keyblade Brat," said Stormy.

"It's actually all of the Brats that we've got a grudge against," said Darcy, "but we'll start with this one."

"And we'll start with this," said Icy as she walked up to Kairi's Keyblade, "killed by her own weapon, how's that for poetic justice?" She bent down to pick the Keyblade up, but the second her hand touched the hilt, she screamed in agony and flinched back. She grasped her hand, which was burned red. The Keyblade then vanished.

"You can't touch it," said Kairi as she tried to summon her Keyblade back into her hand, but found she lacked the strength, "good to know."

"Unfortunately for you, my dear Princess Kairi," said Darkar as he summoned a stone pillar, "it will be the last bit of good news you shall ever receive," from the pillar emerged a set of chains that clamped onto Kairi's wrists, then pulled her towards the pillar, trapping her next to it.

"Welcome to Shadowhaunt, my unexpected guest," said Darkar, "make yourself at home, for you shall not be leaving here alive!" at that he laughed maliciously, while The Trix and the Doppelganger also laughed wickedly, and were soon joined by Xehanort and Sephiroth.

_:Sora!: _Kairi shouted with her mind, _:Can you here me, Sora? Sora? Sora!:_

* * *

_…Alfea…_

_:Can you hear me, Kairi?: _Sora asked via telepathy. He had been trying to contact Kairi ever since she vanished along with Bloom and the fake Avalon, but to no avail. With no reply from Kairi, Sora resolved to listen to the current discussion.

Within minutes of Bloom's abduction, our heroes, along with The Winx and their bonded pixies, The Specialists and the good witches, all found themselves meeting in one of the school classrooms. Stella and her fellow fairies had just finished telling Sky, Brandon, Riven, Timmy, Helia, Carmen, Morgan and Elise what happened.

"So the guy we thought we knew as Professor Avalon was a Doppelganger all along," said Elise, "for some reason, I'm not surprised."

"Neither am I," said Riven, "that guy was too good to be true."

"Aren't you going to say 'I told you he was no good?'" Morgan asked Sky.

"How can I think about that when he took Bloom?" Sky asked, "and what are we doing standing around here? We need to save her."

"My thoughts exactly," said Carmen, "by now she's in Shadowhaunt, and who knows what terrible things are being done to her? I can imagine quite a lot of really bad things, and believe me, I'm scared."

"So am I," said Sora, "but Kairi grabbed the fake Avalon and teleported out. She's with Bloom, that's got to count for something, right?"

"If there's one thing about Kairi," said Tess, "is that she can hold her own."

"But this is Shadowhaunt we're talking about," said Tecna, "it's very atmosphere weakens positive magic."

"Kairi has a pure heart," said Elise, "her very being is full of positive energy. She might last a while down there before being rendered powerless, but even I cannot say how long."

"We might last a while," said Morgan, "being dark magic users, but because we're not pure evil like Darkar and The Trix, so who knows how long we'll last?"

"The potion that The Winx brewed up earlier," said Riku, "the one that was supposed to protect us against the energy-draining atmosphere of Shadowhaunt, you think it could help you good witches?"

"It's possible," said Elise, "we won't know for sure until we try. It might work or it might not."

"It's a start," said Aiden.

"Well, I know one thing for sure," said Aisha as she looked at the bonded pixies, "some of us aren't going to rescue Bloom and Kairi."

"Are you talking about us?" Digit asked.

"It's rude to speak about someone else in that manner," said Tune.

"But Aisha's right," said Brandon, "it's too dangerous for you."

"Too dangerous?" Chatta asked in an outraged tone, "what are you talking about? We can handle Shadowhaunt and anything that Darkar throws at us!"

"But last time we were all nearly destroyed by Darkar," said Amore, "we only escaped because he let us escape. Perhaps it's best that we stay behind."

"And miss out on the adventure of a lifetime?" Chatta asked, " to miss out on saving our friends and taking Darkar down once and for all? I think not!"

"The odds of our coming back alive aren't in our favor," said Digit as she made a calculation on her computer.

"I don't care what any of you say or think!" said a frantic Lockette, "I'm going to help rescue Bloom and nothing you say or do can stop me!"

"Didn't you tell us that you never wanted to go back to Shadowhaunt?" Flora asked, "that it terrified you?"

"And all those Shadow Monsters," said Aisha in a manner that said she was trying to scare Lockette, but in a teasing manner, "all those things lurking around, ready to gobble you up!"

At that Lockette let out a small scream of terror and hid behind Flora's hair, but then her courage returned, "I don't care if Darkar has every monster in the book at his command! Bloom is my bonded fairy! She need me!"

"But she also needs you alive and well," said Aisha.

"Shadowhaunt is pure evil," said Musa.

"The negative energy of that place would be fatal to a pixy," said Tecna as she made a calculation on her computer, "your magical life force would be reduced by over 70%"

"That much?" Digit asked in a surprised tone, "I figured it would only be 58.359%" she looked at her computer, "oh, I see, I added 5 where I should have added 6. My bad."

At that Lockette irately flew over to Aisha and glared at her right in the eye, "I don't care if I have to fly down there all by myself! I'm going and you can't stop me!"

"Your love for Bloom is so beautiful!" said Amore as she flew over to Lockette and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "it's so inspiring. I'm going with you."

"Amore!" said an outraged Stella, "you can't! You wouldn't stand a chance down there!"

"Sorry, Stella," said Amore, "but we all love Bloom." Tt that Piff babbled something unintelligible, but her meaning was that of agreement with Amore.

"Whatever she said, it goes double for me," said a determined Chatta, "wait, what did she say this time?"

"I haven't the faintest idea," said Tune.

"This is getting ridiculous," said Carmen, "it's sheer suicide for them."

"Digit, reason with them," said Tecna, "if you and the pixies come with us, you won't come back."

"Maybe so," said Digit, "but after some additional calculations, the odds of any of us coming back aren't that good. So what's the difference between who goes and who stays? What's the deal?"

"We're all in it together," said Chatta, "all for one and one for all!" at that the other bonded pixies all did a group high five.

"You know," said Aiden, "the chances of success would be higher with additional help, and even the most minute of help can add up to a really big help."

"What he said," remarked Lockette, while the other bonded pixies nodded in agreement.

At that the other humans in the room all sighed with reluctant surrender, "I guess there's no helping it then," said Sky.

Just then everyone heard the sound of a Gummy Ship engine roaring past, "What was that?" Riven asked.

"That was a ship from The Realms of Light," said Riku.

"It's our ship!" said a grinning Tess as she looked out the window, "_The Intrepid Heart_!" Everyone then clustered around the window and saw that it was indeed _The Intrepid Heart,_ a large Highwind model Gummy Ship with orange and blue hull and wings, while the tail and engines were green and gold.

The ship landed in the courtyard, right next to where The Specialists had parked their cruiser. Our heroes and allies ran outside to the courtyard.

"I can imagine old Griselda complaining to Faragonda about how crowded the courtyard is," said Stella.

They reached _The Intrepid Heart _just as the hatch opened up. From it jumped down King Mickey.

"Your Majesty!" said Sora, Riku, Aiden and Tess. They skidded to a halt and bowed respectfully.

"Hiya, guys," said The King, "I heard that there was trouble, so me and the gang decided to come and help."

"And we brought the ship," said Goofy as he, Donald, followed by Queen Minnie, exited the ship.

"Is it that obvious?" Donald muttered.

"We're just glad you made it," said Sora. He, Riku, Aiden and Tess then introduced The King and Queen to the fairies, heroes, bonded pixies and good witches, while Donald and Goofy were greeted as old friends and comrades.

"You know," said Stella as she talked to Queen Minnie, "I think I remember my mother talking about you a few times. You used to come and visit Solaria."

"That was many years ago," said Queen Minnie, "I'm sorry to say that I have been otherwise occupied in recent times. How is your mother, Queen Luna?"

"She's alright last time I talked to her," said Stella, "things have been more than a little upsetting for everyone, what with the divorce and everything, but yeah, she's alright. I'll tell her you said hello."

"We heard that you guys took on a lot of nasty stuff since last year," said Brandon to Donald and Goofy.

"Oh, they were all pushovers," Donald boasted.

"But some of them were sure scary," said Goofy, "them Dalek things were the worst."

"Ah, they're not so tough," Donald, "just hit 'em in the eye and they're done for."

"Yeah, but while they're blind they're blindly firing their death ray all over," said Riven, "that's right, we know all about The Daleks too."

"We still beat them!" Donald said confidently.

"Yeah, but I'd like to see you last again The Cybermen," said Riven.

"_The Intrepid Heart _looks great," said Sora as he walked up to the ship, "Cid's a genius!"

Just then a holographic image of a girl in her late teens with shoulder-length tawny hair and hazel eyes, wearing a green and white shirt and skirt with orange shoes, appeared, "I'll be sure to pass along your praise," she said with a happy smile.

"Sidney!" exclaimed Sora, Riku, Aiden and Tess happily.

"Tron fixed you!" said Sora.

"Well of course he did," said Sidney, "I wouldn't be talking to you all if he hadn't restored my programming, and that's not all that he did," she held up her arms, "notice anything different about me?"

"No mobile emitter," said an astonished Riku.

"Oh, I am wearing one," said Sidney. She then pointed to a pair of small gold, heart-shaped earrings, "improved design. All of my programming inside this little trinket," she tapped the one on her left ear, "the other one is just for show."

"And you're a fully articulate, fully expressive artificial intelligence program," said Tecna in an eager tone, "fascinating!"

"Your programming must easily be four hundred terabytes," said an astonished Timmy.

"Oh, you flatter me," said a blushing Sidney, "three hundred and seventy five."

"The level of A.I. sophistication in The Realms of Light are years ahead of ours," said Elise, "you try fitting that much data into that small a hard drive and still have a hologram projector in it, the whole thing will explode."

"Not that I don't mind being praised by such intelligent people," said Sidney, "but I have my own mission here," she looked at Sora, Riku, Aiden and Tess, "wait, where's Kairi? Did she get kidnapped again?"

"No, but she's still in trouble," said Tess.

"Of course she is," said Sidney in an annoyed tone, but then she smiled again, "still, I know you guys will save her. Right now I've a tour to guide." With that she bade our heroes to board _The Intrepid Heart_.

"Cid did more than repair what is essentially my body," said Sidney, "first of all, the ship now has the feature that allows additional rooms to be added on with just a simple spell. You have a large party of guests to accommodate, just say the magic words and you've got all the rooms you need, with each room, both regular and guest, with its own bathroom. The galley has also been expanded and fully stocked for an extended voyage. And before you ask, no, I have not been upgraded to cook and clean for you freeloaders. You make a mess, you still have to clean it up."

"Like we'd ever ask you to do that," said Sora, "so, what else is new with the ship?"

They then reached the bridge, which looked just like it did before, only now things were sparkly clean and the scent of lemon pine was in the air. Also, the upholstery on the chairs had been changed to a red, yellow and blue pattern, and the chairs were also more comfortable to sit in than before.

"Aside from a newly upgraded entertainment room with access to the newest games, movies and music as they're released," said Sidney, "the ship also have improved weapons and defenses. More powerful lasers and missiles that deliver elemental damage, as well as better shields and stronger armor. This ship can take on an armada of Dalek saucer ships and emerge without a scratch."

"Sweet!" said an amazed Aiden.

"There's more," said Sidney, "We've got a new super weapon; the old one, where all of the ship's power is channeled direct from the engine to the weapons, that's been scrapped when Cid installed an improved engine, which I'll explain in a bit. The new big weapon is this."

On the main screen of the bridge appeared a schematic display of _The Intrepid Heart_. The lasers and missiles were highlighted, but then the image zoomed in on the bottom of the hull where a large energy emerged from a concealed panel.

"This is the GKX-1500," said Sidney, "it's a magically enhanced electromagnetic rail gun, capable of accelerating a marble-sized metal slug up to 2.5 kilometers per second, and that's pretty fast if you ask me. Anything moving that fast will obliterate just about anything in its way. which will make it a really cool weapon."

"Cool's the understatement of the year," said Riku.

"Why didn't we have such a sweet piece of firepower before?" Aiden asked.

"It wasn't built yet," said Sidney, "at least not for this ship. The old power plant couldn't handle it, which brings me to the new engine. Not only is it more powerful and more efficient, it's also more stable than before."

"So we don't have to constantly keep an eye on the engine balance any more?" Sora asked.

"Nope," said a smiling Sidney, "no more worrying about the engine exploding either."

"Have we told you how much we love you, Sidney?" Tess asked.

"Not recently," said Sidney.

"Well, we're saying it now," said Sora.

"That's great," said Sidney, "because there's one more thing." Just then a computer screen beeped and four beams of light, each a different color, shot out and hit the watches of our heroes; the red light Sora's watch, the black one hit Riku's, the green one hit Tess' and the yellow beam hit Aiden's. All four of their watches were then hit by a blue light.

"Tron wrote a new upgrade package for your armor," said Sidney, "the last one failed to install during the final battle against Maleficent and Gideon, but now it's finished."

"Sweet!" said Aiden.

"What's new about the armor?" Tess asked.

"Nothing much," said Sidney, "just a stronger alloy that can take three times as much damage as before and still keep going, and they all now have gold design lines, making them look more fashionable."

"Double sweet!" said Aiden.

Sidney then frowned slightly, "but…there's a catch."

"Of course there is," said Aiden.

"Because the last upgrade failed to install," said Sidney, "and with all the abuse you've been giving your armor recently, the new one is currently rewriting the program for your armor, completely reinstalling it, and it'll take a while, a few days or so."

"So we'll be without our armor for the mission," said Sora, "it's okay, we'll save Kairi and Bloom and stop Darkar all the same."

"And we do appreciate it, Sidney," said Riku, while Tess and Aiden nodded in appreciation."

"Just make sure that you give the upgrade to Kairi when you see her," said Sidney, "it could be any of you, just hold your watch up to Kairi's and the download will begin immediately."

"Will do," said Sora.

"Glad you like what Cid and Tron have done for you," said The King as he walked onto the bridge, "so, when do we leave?"

"What do you mean, your majesty?" Riku asked.

"I heard everything from Faragonda," said King Mickey, "I called ahead just before we got here and she told me that Darkar had Bloom kidnapped. I'm here to help get her back, and don't try to tell me that I can't come because I'm royalty. I'm staying to help Bloom and that's that."

"Is that an order?" Tess asked.

"If it has to be," said The King, "I'm staying, so is Donald and Goofy and so is Queen Minnie. We're all going to help save Bloom."

"Then let's get started," said Sora.

* * *

_…Shadowhaunt…_

"What are you going to do to her?" Kairi asked as she struggled against the chains holding her.

"Me?" the Doppelganger asked as he stroked Bloom's hair, "nothing. It is for Lord Darkar to decide Bloom's ultimate fate." He then stroked her unconscious face, "a shame, it is, for anything wicked to happen to such a lovely young woman."

At that Bloom opened her eyes, glared irately at the fake Avalon and bit his hand right at the soft web of flesh between the thumb and forefinger.

The Doppelganger cried out in pain as he wrenched his hand away from Bloom's teeth, tearing off flesh and spilling blood. Outraged, he struck Bloom across her face, then summoned a gag over her mouth.

"She got you good," said Stormy.

"I may hate you, Bloom," said Icy, "but I'm not ashamed to say that I've always admired your guts, and such hateful guts they are."

Bloom then mumbled against the gag what Kairi assumed was a stream of obscenities at Icy, then she focused her gagged rage at the Doppelganger.

"I can sense your rage," said the fake Avalon as he clutched at his wounded hand, "I understand. You hate me for my betrayal. But I also sense fear. Are you afraid of me?" He then grinned, showing rows of needlelike teeth, "you weren't afraid of me before," his face then changed back to when he was masquerading as Avalon, "not when I was this handsome devil."

Bloom again mumbled a stream of obscenities, which the Doppelganger cruelly laughed off like it was all a big joke, and the joke was on Bloom.

"You really had the wool pulled over your eyes, did you, Bloom?" Stormy asked as she smiled wickedly, "you and all your pathetic friends!"

"And such losers they are," said Darcy, "I'll bet they're all back at Alfea, crying over losing you, too afraid to try and save you. Pathetic!"

Kairi remembered how upset Bloom was from last year when The Trix insulted her friends. If looks could kill, Bloom's rage-fueled eyes would have struck The Trix dead in an instant. But instead they all laughed at her helplessness.

"You leave her alone!" shouted Kairi.

"I agree," said Darkar. He then glared at The Trix, "you, my dear witches, shall refrain from insulting our honored guest, and you, slave!" he pointed at the fake Avalon, "stop pestering the young lady. She is much more important to me than you could ever imagine!"

At that Bloom looked at Darkar with an expression of frightened curiosity.

"Why?" Kairi asked, "what do you want with Bloom?"

"Her powers are the polar opposite of mine," said Darkar, "she, the custodian of The Dragonfire, is the perfect match to mine, The Shadowfire. Together, we shall use The Codex to unlock the door to The Realm of Realix, and together, we shall seek out and claim The Ultimate Power!"

"You must be crazy to think that Bloom would willingly help you!" said Kairi.

"True," said Darkar as he stood up from his throne, "she would never willingly help me, not as she is. But soon I shall change that. Very soon, Bloom shall become Dark Bloom, the perfect consort to The Shadow Phoenix, which is yours truly if you haven't figured it out by now. Together, we shall obtain the Ultimate Power, which I alone shall wield!"

At that Bloom again tried to say something, but the gag prevented her from articulating it.

"Oh, forgive me for denying you your speech, Bloom," said Darkar. He then vanished the gag.

"I'd say thanks," said Bloom, "but then I'd be lying! You're dreaming if you think I'll ever help you! There's no way I'll ever go bad! Never!"

"Forgive me, my dear Bloom," said Darkar, "but this is not my dream, it's your nightmare!" at that he laughed wickedly yet again.

* * *

_…Alfea…_

"Okay," said Sky after finishing a system check on the cruiser, "we're as ready as we'll ever be."

"We're ready on _The Intrepid Heart _too," said Sora.

"I don't think it'll be enough," said Aisha, "I mean, we may not be enough to take on Darkar and get Bloom and Kairi out of Shadowhaunt."

"Darkar still has that army of Shadow Monsters," said Stella, "and The Trix."

"And he has Xehanort and Sephiroth working with him," said Riku, "Aisha's right, we may not be enough."

It was then that Mirta and Malcolm walked up to our heroes and allies, with him trailing a few paces behind her.

"Mirta!" said Flora.

"Hey," said Mirta as she walked up to The Winx, "sorry I've been gone, family thing, you know."

"Well, I can honestly say that you've missed one fiasco after another," said Morgan.

"I heard when we arrived on Magix," said Mirta, "the enemy has Bloom. Well, I'm going to do everything I can to help save her, and my brother kid will help too."

"You have a brother?" both Carmen and Stella asked.

"Yeah, he's right here," said Mirta. She then looked to her left, "Malcolm?" she looked to her right, "Malcolm! Where did you go?" She then saw her brother standing off by himself at the far end of the courtyard, "there he is. Malcolm! Come on over here now! These are the guys you wanted to talk to."

Malcolm then slowly walked over. "He's a little shy around new people," said Mirta, "just nerves, you know. Other than that he's alright."

"Not that we're not happy to meet him," said Musa, "but why did you bring your brother here now?"

"He wanted to talk to Sora and the other Keyblade Wielders," said Mirta, "it'd be better if he explained it himself."

"Why does he want to talk to us?" Sora asked.

"He want's to explain it himself," said Mirta. By then Malcolm had reached them.

"Hello," said Malcolm shyly, "I…I'm Malcolm. I've wanted to meet you, Sora, ever since I heard that you helped my sister last year."

"Oh, it's nothing," said Sora in a modest tone, "Donald was the one who really helped Flora and Morgan."

"But you were there," said Malcolm in a much more determined tone, "you're a Keyblade Wielder, _The _Keyblade Wielder, the first new one in years. You saved so many worlds and lives and destroyed countless Heartless and Nobodies. And your friends are just as awesome!"

"I think we've got a fan here," said Aiden as he smiled smugly.

"Nice to know we've got people who look up to us," said Tess.

"Not that we're not glad to meet you, Malcolm," said Riku, "but is there something else you want to talk to us about?"

At that Malcolm looked down shyly and clasped his hands behind his back.

"He's just being shy," said Mirta. She then looked at her brother, "go on, show them. It's what you've been waiting for."

At that Malcolm looked up at Sora, Riku, Tess and Aiden, "try not to freak out, but…" he held out his right hand and in a flash of magic, a Keyblade appeared in his grasp. It was like a saber and a bit longer than Way to the Dawn, colored dark green, blue and purple.

"Holy snickerdoodles!" exclaimed Aiden.

"No way!" said both Riku and Tess.

"That's so cool!" said Sora, "you're a Keyblade Wielder, like us!"

"Yeah, I guess so," said Malcolm.

"How'd you get one?" Kairi asked.

"Well," said Malcolm in a reluctant tone, "it's like this. You know about Mirta, with her being half witch, half fairy. Well, I'm also half and half, part warrior, part wizard. I've always been pretty good with a sword and in the black arts. Mom wanted me to go to a wizard school, but dad insisted that I go to Red Fountain, said it'd make a man out of me."

"Dad's always been a bit bullheaded when it comes to Malcolm," said Mirta, "he thingks Mal's not manly enough."

"I'm man enough!" said Malcolm, "just because I've never had a girlfriend doesn't mean I'm a fruitcake, not that I have anything against people like that. But I'm plenty manly, I've just got issues with talking to people."

"You're doing a fair job right now talking to us," said Tess.

"I'm used to you by now," said Malcolm, "it's meeting new people that I've got problems with. Anyway, I've been having these really weird dreams about Heartless and other kinds of monsters that I've never seen before. I've also had dreams about people and places I've never seen before, and I always forget about them when I wake up, but I feel that if I ever see these people or places, I'll remember them."

"This sounds very familiar," said Aiden in a suspicious tone, "did you also dream about a strange voice giving you strange advice?"

"You've heard the voice too?" Malcolm asked in a surprised tone.

"That guy really messed me up," said Aiden, "and helped me on the path to friendship and adventure. But enough about me, what about you?"

"Well," said Malcolm, "a few days ago, I had a really bad dream. This was, literally, my worst nightmare. I was running around, going from one platform after another, with each platform being a stain glass window with an image that I can't remember."

"Now I know this is familiar," said Aiden.

"After I got to the top platform," said Malcolm, "I saw this really big, black, wriggly Heartless."

"Darkside," said Sora.

"Yeah, that's what it was," said Malcolm, "it tried to eat me and I had nowhere to run. But then the voice told me not to be afraid, that I had the power to open the door to light. Then my Keyblade appeared and I destroyed the giant Heartless. Since then I've had other dreams about important people and places that I'm sure to remember when I see them, but I remember you, Sora, and the other Keyblade Wielders, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess."

"But what is it you want?" Riku asked.

"To join you, of course," said Malcolm, "fate gave me a Keyblade and I intend to use it to stand against The Darkness. Now, don't bother about telling me how dangerous being a Keyblade Wielder is, I already know that to be one is to risk death and worse, that to be a Keyblade Wielder is to risk meddling in the natural course of events on the worlds.

"I know all the risks and dangers and am prepared to face them with courage, honor, justice and light in my heart. I am prepared to do everything that I can, to fight the good fight until I can't fight any more, or until someone tells me to stop."

"That's a great speech," said Riku.

"You think so?" Malcolm asked modestly, "I spent nearly a day working on it."

"Well, you've convinced me that you're alright," said Sora.

"But there's more, isn't there," said Tess.

"There is," said Malcolm, "I've always believed that magic should be used with responsibility; that one should always take into consideration the consequences of using magic in any situation. This applies to users of both good and dark magic, and it's irresponsible people like The Trix, whom brazenly use magic with no thought for the wellbeing of others, or themselves for that matter, that really get my goat."

"Yeah, Icy and her bitch sisters have that affect on you," said Carmen.

"Still, those are some good principals you've got," said Riku.

"Nice to finally meet a user of dark magic whith some integrity and decency in his heart," said Tecna.

"Hey, what are we?" Morgan asked, "Chopped liver?"

"You could be," teased Stella.

"There's still more to you," said Tess to Malcolm, "isn't there."

At that Malcolm looked a bit nervous, but the nodded with serious determination, "there is; I've got a medical condition. When I was little, I would have blackouts where I would sometimes forget things, and I don't mean just specific thoughts and memories, but entire time periods. Sometimes it'd be just a minute or so, others were up to an hour or two. The worst was when I was eleven and I forgot nearly two whole days."

Malcolm then took out a medium sized pill bottle from one of his belt pouches, "no one has ever been able to pin down the exact cause of my blackouts, but they are treatable. I was placed on this medication when I was thirteen and as long as I take the medication, one pill a day, I don't have the blackouts."

"What happens if you forget to take your medicine?" Sora asked.

"Hopefully, nothing," said Malcolm, "I have occasionally forgotten to take my daily dose, mostly because I've had way too much on my mind or some other reason, but other than that I'm pretty reliable about taking the stuff. But on a handful of occasions when I do forget I do blackout, but it rarely happens.

"But regardless, it's because of this condition, even though the medication has the blackouts managed, that I was denied entrance to Red Fountain, that and the fact that I flunked the written exam, I've got really bad handwriting.

"There now, I've told you my weakness, the one thing that could make you decide not to let me join you as a fellow Keyblade Wielder. Whatever you decide will be alright with me. If you'll have me as your friend and partner, that'd be wonderful, but if you won't accept me, I'll still be alright. I'll take my leave and forge my own path elsewhere."

"Are you nuts?" Sora asked, "of course we'll accept you."

"We'd be sorry friends if we didn't accept you," said Riku, "regardless if your condition."

"And you've got it managed," said Aiden, "is the medication prescribed by a doctor?"

"The prescription originally came from a doctor," said Malcolm, "but since the medicine is so expensive, I found that it was cheaper to make it myself, and I can make it from scratch under most circumstances."

"Well," said Aiden, "if you tell me the recipe, I can help make it as well."

"There's one thing though," said Riku, "just how good with a Keyblade are you?"

"You said that you just got yours," said Tess, "which means that I'm no longer the new kid on the block. If you're just starting out as a Keyblade Wielder, then…"

"If you're worried about training me," said Malcolm, "I've been training myself, and I'm confident I can keep up with you in a Heartless battle."

"We're not doubting your skills, " said Sora, "it's just that, we're on our own training journey and won't have time to help you catch up with us."

"Were getting ready for The Mark of Mastery," said Riku.

"You are?" Malcolm asked in an amazed tone, "you're all going for the rank of Keyblade Master? That's awesome! Now I know I want to go with you. I won't be a burden on your training, promise."

"There's also the fact that we've got friends in need of rescuing," said Tess.

"All the more reason for me to go with you," said Malcolm, "I can help. Think of this as a trial quest, just to see how good I can be as a Keyblade Wielder."

"That makes sense, I guess," said Aiden, "if we save Bloom and Kairi, defeat The Trix and Darkar and save The Magical Dimension, we'll see how Malcolm did and decide if he can really come with us. And if we fail…well, then that's that and we don't have to worry about it, or anything else for that matter."

"You can fly with us on _The Intrepid Heart_," said Riku, "along with Donald, Goofy and King Mickey," he then looked at the trio from Disney Castle, "unless they have any objections."

"None whatsoever," said The King, while Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement. He then held out his hand to Malcolm, "welcome aboard!"

"Glad to be here," said Malcolm.

"If you're going then so am I," said Mirta, "Bloom's my friend too, and even though I don't know Kairi that well, she's also my friend. Besides," she looked at Malcolm, "someone has to make sure that you don't do something reckless and get yourself killed."

"I'm not reckless!" said Malcolm.

Timmy then stuck his head out of the window of the Red Fountain cruiser, "okay, we're all set to go."

"We'd better get going then," said Sora, "Kairi, Bloom, just hold on, we're coming."

Tecna then looked up from her computer, "hold on a nanoclick," she said, "I've been going over the data we have on Shadowhaunt, especially the topological maps of the cavern where Darkar's fortress is, and I've discovered that we've made a critical error."

"Error?" Elise asked, "What error? What are you talking about?"

"This error," said Tecna as she showed Elise the data on her computer. Everyone clustered around the small screen and saw a 3D model of the underground cavern, "none of the tunnels leading to the fortress are big enough for the ships. We can't get there in them."

"My gods, you're right," said a shocked Carmen.

"Well, this is a dilly of a pickle," said Malcolm.

"That's putting it lightly," said Brandon, "without our vehicles for support…"

"Our chances of winning drop from slim to none," Riven finished.

"What do we do?" Flora asked.

At that Sky rubbed his chin in a thoughtful manner, as if he just had an idea, "it's not so much as what _we_ can do," he then placed his hand on Brandon's shoulder, "it's what _Brandon_ can do."

"Me?" Brandon asked, "You want me to dig a bigger tunnel into Shadowhaunt?"

"I could try transmuting a big enough tunnel," said Aiden.

"You'd exhaust yourself before you got half a mile," said Elise.

"Are you kidding?" Aiden asked in an insulted tone, "please, I'd get at least five miles."

"It wouldn't even get us close to Shadowhaunt," said Sky, "no, this is something only Brandon can do."

"Don't keep us in suspense, man," said Riku, "what is it?"

"It'll involve paying a visit to Brandon's old girlfriend," said Sky as he gave our heroes a mischievous smile. He then looked at Brandon, "you know, the one with the giant, rock eating worm? That big monster could dig a tunnel for us in to time flat."

"What?!" exclaimed Brandon, "no way! No freaking way! I know exactly whom you're talking about, Sky, and the answer is no!"

"You'd rather let the entire universe fall under Darkar's thumb?" Sky asked, "you'd do that than ask your old flame, Princess Armentia, for a favor?"

At that Sora saw that Stella was grinding her teeth in silent rage. Whoever this Armentia was, she had pissed Stella off something major.

"Well," said Brandon in a reluctant tone, "actually…"

But then Faragonda walked up, "Actually," said the Alfea headmistress, "that sounds like an excellent idea. The two of you should go see Armentia at once."

"The two of us?" Sky asked in a taken aback tone.

"Of course," said Faragonda, "after all, it was your idea."

"I don't believe this," said Sky in an annoyed tone, "me and my big mouth."

At that Brandon laughed heartily.

"Who's Armentia?" Sora asked.

"Remember when you heard about us rescuing the pixies from Darkar?" Aisha asked, "well, Stella and Brandon ended up making a detour to Downland."

"It's the underground kingdom of The Trogs," said Helia.

"And it's ruled by that prissy perfectionist, Armentia," said an irate Stella, "and she dared to have the hots for my Brandon!"

"She thought I was perfect," said Brandon, "and what can I say? When you've got it, you've got it."

"She forced Brandon into a shotgun wedding," said Sky, "her trog soldiers took us hostage to force Brandon to go through it."

"And I would have done it," said Brandon, "if it weren't for our dear little friends here."

"It's true," said Chatta, "Amore found Armentia's real soul mate, Sponsus, and broght them together."

"Sometimes true love needs a little push in the right dirrection," said Amore, "and they are soul mates."

"She dumped me the second Amore's magic went to work," said Brandon, "the first time in my life I was glad to be rejected."

"And you think she'll help us?" Sora asked.

"If I ask her nice enough," said Brandon.

"I don't like it!" said Stella as she stubbornly crossed her arms, "why should she help us?"

"Because her kingdom is in as much risk as the rest of The Magical Dimension," said Sky, "worse because Downland is pretty much right next door Shadowhaunt, so The Trogs will be the first to feel Darkar's wrath."

"Sounds like a good enough reason to me," said Riku, "but if it's not, then maybe you'd need some more voices to persuade her."

"I'm way ahead of you," said Tess. She then looked at Sky and Brandon, "we'll go with you."

"Count me in too," said Aisha, while Piff babbled in agreement.

"Don't argue with us," said Riku, "there's no time."

"I wasn't going to," said Sky.

Just then Griselda walked up with a large jug of the potion the Winx were brewing earlier, "I had hoped to catch all of you before you left. The concoction is ready," she then summoned several small cups and handed one each to Sora, Riku, Aiden, Tess, "this will allow you to use your powers to their fullest while in Shadowhaunt," she then looked at King Mickey, Queen Minnie, Donald and Goofy and handed cups to them as well, "all of you."

Griselda then poured each of them a serving of the potion, which was now bright green, "it will take effect almost instantly. You won't feel it, but when you get to Shadowhaunt, you'll know it is working."

"Down the hatch then," said The King. With that he, The Queen, Donald, Goofy, Sora, Riku, Aiden and Tess, all drank the potion.

"Hey, this is kinda good," said Goofy after everyone drank the potion.

"I added the mint flavor at the last moment," said Girselda, "glad you all approve." She then poured some of the potion into a bottle, corked it and handed it to Sora, "and here is some for your friend, Kairi, for when you save her."

"Thanks," said Sora as he pocketed the bottle.

A minute later Sky and Brandon had brought over four hover bikes. Timmy handed the keys to his to Aisha, while Riven reluctantly handed his over to Riku.

"Take good care of my bike," said Riven, "if you so much as put one scratch on her, I'll make you regret it."

"I know how to treat other people's vehicles," said Riku. He and Tess then got on the bike, while Aisha got on her borrowed ride as well.

"Alright," said Sky as he, Brandon, Aisha, Riku and Tess all put their helmets on, "we'll meet at the rendezvous point, once lover boy here convinces his princess to help out." At that Brandon rolled his eyes in annoyance, while Stella did the same.

"We'll be ready," said Sora.

"Ready to come charging in," said Timmy.

"Hopefully in time to save everyone," said Flora.

"Headmistress," said Brandon, "Isn't there anyone else we can ask for help?"

"Isn't there?" Sora asked Faragonda.

At that the Alfea headmistress looked thoughtful, but then she sighed and placed her hands behind her back, "there are individuals within The Magical Dimension whom possess near god-like powers. They can help, but these individuals are highly reclusive and do not appreciate being disturbed, even in dire emergencies."

"Then there really isn't anyone else we can ask to help us?" Brandon asked.

"There are, but it would be a bad idea to get them involved," said Faragonda.

"Forget I said it," said Brandon.

"It's no big deal," said Sky, "so what if the best people in The Magical Dimension who can help us would refuse our plea outright, and could probably end up killing us as well as Darkar if they did say yes. It's still no big deal. We'd get to crush Darkar all by ourselves."

At that Brandon revved up his bike, "come on then! Let's do this!"

"Don't steal my line!" snapped Aiden, "that's my catchphrase!"

"Sorry, dude!" said Brandon, "didn't know!" with that he and Sky took off.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Tess asked Riku.

"At this point, I'm willing to try anything to save Bloom and Kairi," said Riku. With that he gunned the engine on the bike and raced after Brandon and Sky.

"Don't worry," said Aisha to her fellow Winx, while Piff sat secure in the hood of her jacket, "I'll keep them all safe," with that she raced after Brandon, Sky, Riku and Tess.

"I wish I had her confidence," said Stella in a mildly depressed tone.

"All we can do hope for the best," said Faragonda, "I wish I could go with you all, but there's a few things I need to take care of here at Alfea first."

"What is it, Ms. F?" Musa asked.

"A little surprise for Darkar," said Faragonda, "something that might just turn the tide against that horrible creature."

"Well, don't be surprised if we destroy the bugger first," said Carmen.

With a few more rounds of well wishes, our heroes and allies boarded the two ships and took off, ready for what was sure to be their greatest challenge yet.

* * *

_…Shadowhaunt…_

"So, that's their pathetic plan!" said Darkar after watching the events at Alfea. He then laughed viciously. He then addressed his army of dark creatures, "Shadow Monsters! I have a very special job for you, one that The Trix would be very interested in as well."

"Say no more, Lord Darkar," said Icy as she, Darcy and Stormy smiled wickedly, "we'll give those losers a welcome they'll never forget!"

"The same could be said for you!" said Kairi, "you can throw a million of those creatures at Sora and the others! They'll still tear through them like crap through a goose! Then they'll tear you all apart and tear this upside-down castle to pieces!"

"We shall see," said Darkar, "we shall see."

"She's telling the truth," said Bloom, "by taking Kairi and me, you've only strengthened our friends' resolve to save us. Nothing's going to stop them, nothing!"

"Perhaps," said Dakrar, "perhaps they will make it inside my sanctum," he then leaned closer to Bloom, "but I guarantee this, little fairy, whomever of them makes it here, they shall regret it most dearly!" at that he laughed viciously again.

"Everyone," said Bloom to herself in prayer, "please, be careful."

* * *

The four hover bikes raced through a deep canyon, with Brandon and Sky in the lead, followed by Aisha and with Riku and Tess brining up the rear.

They then jumped from one canyon into another, stopping at the canyon wall in front of a tunnel opening, "that's it," said Aisha, "that's definitely the way to Downland."

"Princess Armentia," said Brandon reluctantly, "here we come, ready or not."

"But who's ready?" Riku asked, "us? Or her?"

Tess then tensed, "we're not alone here!" she said.

Aisha then heard a rock falling from the cliff above, "look out!" she cried, just as four canine Shadow Monsters leapt down at them. Two of them tackled Brandon and Sky off of their bikes, but the two Specialists recovered and got back up. The other two monsters had aimed at Aisha, Riku and Tess, but they ducked in time to avoid being tackled.

The four canine monsters then circled around and growled at our heroes, their razor-sharp fangs and claws ready for the kill. One of them leaped at and tackled Sky to the ground and tried to bite his head off. He kicked the monster off of him, got up and activated a hover disk and jumped on, "sorry, pooch! I'm out of here!" he then zoomed away from the creature.

Brandon had activated a green, twin-bladed energy sword, just as the second canine Shadow Monster attacked him, this one also trying to bite his head off. He held the thing's open jaws at bay with his sword, "man, you things ought to use better mouth wash!"

"Who said that they brush their teeth in the first place?" Riku asked as he and Tess held the other two canine monsters at bay with their Keyblades.

Sky then circled around and raced towards Brandon, whom grabbed Sky's outstretched arm and jumped onto the hover disk.

"Everyone!" shouted Aisha as she stood a in front of the tunnel opening, "over here! Quick!" but then another canine monster jumped into the area.

Sky then maneuvered the hover disk so that he was facing the new canine monster while another was chasing him and Brandon. A quick turn and the two creatures slammed into each other. At the same time, both Riku and Tess had stabbed the monsters they were fighting. Together they all ran into the cave.

"We're okay for now," said Sky as he deactivated his hover disk.

"You hope," said Tess as she and Riku vanished their Keyblades.

"The way to Downland is that way," said Aisha as she pointed to a sudden slope in the tunnel, "you all ready?"

"Are we ever?" Tess asked. With that they all slid down the slope and landed hard on the tunnel floor at the bottom.

"Piece of cake," said Brandon.

"I think my slice is too big for my plate," said Aisha.

"Look," said Sky as he pointed to bluish green glowing crystals that dotted the tunnel walls here and there, "the Trogs use those to see underground."

"I told you I knew the way," said Aisha as she confidently smiled.

"Their kingdom can't be far from here," said Brandon.

Just then a gigantic trog warrior stomped into the area and yanked Brandon and Sky to their feet, while another forced Riku and Tess to stand up as well.

"Meddling uplanders!" said one of the Trog warriors in a deep, gravely voice, "when you gonna learn proper respect?! Downland be queendom, not kingdom!"

"Wait a second," said Brandon as he looked at the Trog who spoke, "I remember you! Your name's Abrupto, or something like that, don't you recognize me?"

"Abrupto my brother!" said the trog, "I Ronto!"

"I be Abrupto!" said the other trog.

"Oh, sorry," said Brandon, "you all kinda look alike."

"Pardon me," said Aisha, "but we have some serious unfinished uplander business to take care of first."

At that moment several more canine Shadow Minions jumped into the area and rushed at our heroes.

"These things are as tenacious as Heartless!" said Riku as he and Tess summoned their Keyblades, while Sky and Brandon activated their energy swords.

"And twice as ugly!" said Tess. The four of them were about to face the oncoming Shadow Monsters, when one of the trogs smashed the creatures with his spiked club. The creatures crumpled into dust and vanished.

"Wow," said an impressed Brandon, "nice shot."

"We deal quick with trespassers in Downland," said one of the trogs, "now state your business, or we deal with you!"

"Speak up, human!" said the other trog as he prodded Brandon with his club.

"Hey, take it easy!" said Brandon, "we come in peace."

"We seek an audience with Princess Armentia," said Sky.

"You dare return to Downland after what you do to princess?" one of the Trogs, Abrupto, asked, "first you leave Princess Armentia standing at altar, now you slink back, asking for audience! Who do you think you are!?"

"Dead meat if they don't leave!" the other trog, Ronto, said as he brandished his club.

"This isn't going good," said Tess, "any more bright ideas?"

"Just give me a chance," said Brandon. He then spoke to the two trogs, "actually, Armentia was the one who left me at the altar, not the other way around."

"Lucky too," said Ronto, "or else we be stuck with puny human as next as royal consort instead of noble Sponsus."

"If that's true," said Sky, "then the entire Queendom owes my friend a debt of gratitude, for not being Armentia's husband."

"True," said Abrupto reluctantly, "okay, you can see princess." he then handed the boys a long scroll, "this be royal court dress code, mandatory."

"Are you kidding me?" Riku asked as he looked at the scroll over the shoulders of Sky and Brandon, "I can wear any of that stuff! I'd look just plain stupid!"

"This is just for the boys, right?" Aisha asked, "if not, then I'll sit this one out."

"We don't have time for this," said Tess. She then walked up to Abrupto and Ronto, "look, we really need to see your princess. Two of our friends are in a life or death situation, while the rest of the universe on the verge of doomsday, and we need Armentia's help. Now, we can stand here until all things go to hell in a hand basket, arguing over some irrelevant court protocol, or you can take us to your leader and we can get down to business."

At that the two trog warriors looked like they wanted to argue, but level heads prevailed, "okay," said Ronto, "we take you straight to princess Armentia."

"But you still need feathers," said Abrupto, "Princess Armentia won't see you without them."

"So we just need to get some feathers from some underground lizard monster?" Brandon asked, "piece of cake."

In truth, Brandon and Sky were nearly eaten by the underground lizard monster, which could also breathe fire by the way. They returned to Aisha, Riku and Tess, after being chased by the lizard monster into an underground river and nearly drowning in the process, but they both made it back, each with several long, dark red feathers.

"I hope it was worth it," said Riku, "we don't have time for this crap."

"I told you it was a piece of cake," said Brandon, "but man it was hard getting these feathers. The things some guys would do to impress a girl."

"If I were you," said Sky, "I'd start thinking about what you're going to say to the princess. If we're going to save Bloom and Kairi, we're definitely going to need Armentia's help," he then gave Brandon a serious glare, "got it, lover boy?"

"You'd better pull this off," said Tess as she pulled out her razor, "my father was a very successful barber and I learned a lot from him. If you mess this up, I'll shave off every hair on your body, without shaving cream, or even water."

"Uh…right," said a very nervous Brandon as he touched his hair, as if making sure it was still there, "I'll do my best."

* * *

The two ships landed at the arranged coordinates at the wide canyon, with no sign of Sky, Brandon, Aisha, Riku or Tess.

"And no sign of the Downlanders," said an irate Carmen.

"Looks like the giant rock worm is late to lunch," said Timmy.

"Wait, what's that on the scanner?" Sora asked.

Both ships' view screens showed the somewhat wrecked hover bikes. "Whatever happened here," said Helia, "it wasn't a pretty sight."

"But there's no sign of blood," said Aiden, "they weren't hurt."

"They were probably dragged away and killed somewhere else," said Elise, "but that's just my theory."

"I know Brandon and the others are alright," said Stella in a confident tone, "I just know it. So I don't want to hear from anyone that they didn't make it."

"No one is doubting them, Stella," said Timmy, "Sky and Brandon, they'll pull through."

"And they weren't killed," said Malcolm, "they were chased by Shadow Monsters into the cave, I can read their tracks easily enough."

"Why didn't you tell us that you had tracking skills?" Sora asked.

"You didn't ask," said Malcolm.

"I'm more worried that my bike was trashed," said Riven, "I'm going to so wail on that Riku!"

"Oh for crying out loud!" exclaimed Stella, "where are your priorities? It's only a machine, it has no real value, like, I don't know, a new party dress."

"Oh good grief," muttered Tecna.

"I just hope Sky and the others are okay," said Flora.

"All we can do is wait," said Riven, "and there's nothing I hate more than waiting."

"Who does like waiting?" Mirta asked.

Unknown to our heroes as they took the two ships up to hover over the area, they were being watched by The Trix.

"Well look at that," said Icy as she smiled with vicious glee, "something to play with."

"Oh goody," said Stormy, "time to get ready for some bad weather."

"Ready or not," said Darcy, "here it comes!" with that all three dark witches channeled their insidious powers together for one unwholesome spell.

* * *

"I'll say this about the trogs," said Riku as they were lead through the Aztec-like city of Downland, "they've got great architecture."

"I've seen some pretty strange things since becoming a Keyblade Wielder," said Tess as she looked at the people of Downland, "but this is the most bizarre civilization I've seen yet." She was speaking of the many different types of trogs. Some were as large and muscular as the two warriors, while others were small and more humanoid, with gaunt bone structures and very large eyes. And then there were those that had slightly smaller eyes and four arms.

They were soon at the pyramid-like palace and met with Sponsus, the consort of Armentia. Sponsus was one of the more humanoid variety of trog, being of normal human height and far less muscle than the trog warriors. But what Sponsus lacked in physical prowess, he made up for in loyalty to his princess.

"Well, isn't this a surprise," said Sponsus as he saw Sky, Brandon, Aisha, Riku and Tess, focusing on the firs three, "and here I thought that you uplanders had had enough of our subterranean paradise."

"Nice to see you too, Sponsus," said Brandon, "but we're in a hurry."

"Ah, yes, you want to see my darling Armentia," said Sponsus, "I've heard of the troubles you've been having. I'll do what I can to convince her highness to help you, but you know how fickle her moods and whims can be."

"All too well," said Brandon.

"Lead on, Sponsus," said Sky. "We've got to try to convince the princess to help us."

"One way or another," said Tess, "if we have to."

"I'll do what I can," said Sponsus. He then lead them through the palace and into the throne room, where Armentia sat on a raised throne, being fanned by a servant. Also next to the throne were a pair of four-armed guards wielding four-bladed spears.

"We'll do all the talking," said Sky to Riku and Tess, "we've dealt with Armentia before."

"Just don't drag things out too long," said Riku.

"I know, the clock is ticking," said Brandon.

"My dear, sweet Armentia," said Sponsus in an overly cheerful tone as they all approached the steps of the throne, "look who I found outside, it's our old friends, and they brought some new friends."

"Hmmm," said Armentia as she peered down to look at Brandon, "isn't that the human who was so hopelessly in love with me?"

"Why that lying, no good, insane…." Brandon irately muttered through this teeth.

"Keep it inside, Brandon," whispered Sky, "I know she's crazy, but we need her help."

"I know," whispered Brandon, "and it sucks." he then forced a smile at Armentia, "it's good to see how elegant you and your kingdom has become, your majesty."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," said Armentia, "I'm married now, and I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life," she looked at Sponsus with adoring eyes, "aren't we, darling?"

"Happy as cave clams, dearest," said Sponsus, "but look what they've brought you?" He then indicated the feathers from the fire-breathing lizard.

"Are those what I think they are?" Armentia asked as she saw the feathers.

"After what we went through to get them," said Brandon, "yes, they'd better be."

"And they're all yours, Princess Armentia," said Sky as he and Brandon presented the feathers to the perfectionist princess.

But then Armentia looked like she was horribly offended, "I should have you flogged and banished from my domain for daring to bring those filthy, flea-infested rags before me! They look terrible!"

"What!?" exclaimed both Sky and Brandon, while Sponsus laughed, as if Armentia had just told a very funny joke.

"They do look terrible," said Aisha as she stepped forward, "especially on men."

"And they'd probably only look good on a hat," said Tess, "and a big one at that."

"Exactly," said Armentia, "one must keep in sync with modern fashion, or in my case, be one to set the trends," she then ran her hand through her necklace, one that had large purple beads and black objects that looked like they came from a deadly animal, "take this for example, these came from the stingers of giant scorpions, so much more suave, don't you think?"

"She's kidding," said an irate Riku, "is she seriously suggesting that we go out and wrestle some giant scorpions, just for their stingers? She's kidding, right?"

"She's not," said an annoyed Brandon.

"Don't blow it," whispered Sky.

"They are trendy, your majesty," said Aisha, "I don't know what they boys were thinking of, bringing those horrible feathers here," she walked up to the steps of the throne and bowed, "but that's not why we're here, Princess Armentia. As you may already know, everyone in The Magical Dimension is under the threat of a vile darkness. Lord Darkar has been trying to access The Realm of Realix and obtain The Ultimate Power. My friends and I are attempting to stop him, but we cannot do it alone. We need your help."

"Lord Darkar, you say?" Armentia asked, "we'll, I must admit, that ice witch of his really ticked me off."

"Yeah, Icy has that effect on people," said Sky.

"Then will you help us?" Brandon asked, "will you lend us a rock worm? So he can dig us a tunnel into Shadowhaunt?"

"Hold on a minute!" said Armentia as she stood up from her throne, "Darkar is an enemy of my realm. The second his witch minions invaded my kingdom and dared to assault my people and myself, he instigated a state of war between Downland and Shadowhaunt. But what concern is it of you uplanders?"

"It's our concern because he's a freaking maniac!" said Tess.

"We have a plan to invade Shadowhaunt and shut Darkar down for good," said Brandon, "but we need a bigger tunnel in order to successfully launch an attack on the underground fortress. With your help we can succeed and defeat Darkar once and for all!"

"Is that so?" Armentia asked in a serious tone, "well then," she held out her hand and one of the guards gave her his spear, "if you are seriously asking for my help, then you must prove it! Prove that you are a warrior worthy of having The Great Armentia's assistance on the battlefield!"

She then jumped down from the throne and brandished the spear in a fighting stance, "defeat me, Brandon!" she said in a menacing tone, "defeat me in a duel and all of Downland shall be at your disposal!"

"Are you serious?!" Riku demanded, "our friends' lives are in danger and you want to fight? The entire universe is at risk and you want to fight? Are you as crazy as you look?"

"I'm going to ignore that insult," said Armentia, "right now all I care about is seeing what of my ex has what it takes!"

"This is bull crap," said an irate Tess, "this has been a complete waste of time. For all we know, Bloom and Kairi may already be dead, and now this lunatic lady wants to waste more time?" she then glared irately at Armentia, "screw you, princess! Screw you and your freaking rock worm," she looked at Sky, Brandon, Aisha and Riku, "we don't need her help, we'll find another way into Shadowhaunt."

"No, I've got this," Brandon insisted.

"It's our best chance to save Bloom and Kairi," said Sky, "you have a better idea?"

"Well, no," said Tess reluctantly, "but I still say it's pointless. We shouldn't give this lunatic the satisfaction."

"I'll still do it," said Brandon, "I never refuse a challenge, ever."

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Riku asked, eyeing the serious look Armentia was giving Brandon, "she's crazy but she looks like she means business."

"So do I," said Brandon, "I mean, how hard can it be to beat her?"

"Go for it, man," said Sky.

"But be quick about it," said Tess reluctantly.

"I know," said Brandon as he pulled out and activated his energy sword, "the clock is ticking. Hey, Sponsus, don't worry, I'll go easy on Armentia."

"It's not my wife that I'm worried about," said Sponsus smugly, "good luck, kid, you're going to need it."

"I hate to burst everyone's bubble," said Aisha, "But Livi told us that Princess Armentia was a martial arts master."

"Oh, how thoughtless of me," said Armentia, "I completely forgot about your little blond friend, how is she?"

"She's fine," said Aisha, "a little shook up about losing the Codex piece to The Trix, but she's hanging in there."

"Make a note, Sponsus," said Armentia, "send Livi a fruit basket and a condolence card," she then looked at Sky, "and as for this blond friend, forgive me for not considering his feelings, and those of the others! Abrupto! Ronto! Make sure they're not left out of the fight!"

"Yes, majesty!" said both trog warriors as they hefted their clubs and stomped over to our heroes.

"Now I know you're mad!" said Tess in an exasperated tone, "I just had to be sure!"

"Genius and insanity are often confused," said Armentai, "now, let's not dwell on ceremony!" she pointed her spear at Brandon, "let the duel begin!"

* * *

_…aboveground…_

"We've searched for miles in all direction," said Riven, "and still no sign of Sky and the others."

"The weather isn't helping," said Aiden, "where did this storm come from?" Indeed a major thunderstorm was brewing outside as the two ships hovered near the ground.

"It wasn't on any forecasts," said The King, "I've got a bad feeling about this."

"You and me both," said Malcolm, "this sudden storm has a feel of dark magic about it."

"We'd better get ready," said Helia, "all our moving about has only made us more open targets for the enemy."

"What enemy?" Morgan asked, "we've searched for miles and found only sand, dirt, shrubs and rock. We're alone out here."

"Better play it safe, all the same," said Timmy, "let's take the ships to a higher altitude, above the weather."

"Good idea," said Sora. With that the two ships began gaining altitude.

"They think they can run away," said Darcy as she, Icy and Stormy, "how pathetic."

"Can I drop the hammer now?" Stormy asked, "I've been building this storm up so much, it's starting to give me a headache."

"And we wouldn't want you to suffer," said Icy, "alright, Stormy, let it rip!"

"About time!" said Stormy, her whole body alight with the insidious dark purple glow of her magic.

Just then both ships were struck by bolts of purple lighting from the clouds above.

Inside the cabins of both ships, their occupants were shook about as the ships began to shudder.

"What's going on?" Tecna asked. She and everyone saw that the control panels on both ships were surging with dark lighting.

"We've been hit by multiple lighting strikes!" said Timmy.

"I was just saying that!" said Sidney, her holographic image flickering, "all ship systems are overloading! And I was just fixed, too."

Both ships then lost guidance control and began descending towards the ground.

"I've got a rotten idea where all this lighting came from," said an irate Stella as she looked out the window and saw The Trix, laughing viciously as they watched from the cliff above.

"Oh, that's just the limit!" said Carmen.

"Mirta, are they…?" Malcolm asked.

"That's the Trix alright," said Mirta, "they're the ones who turned me into a pumpkin last year!"

At that Malcolm's expression hardened, his eyes blazing with fury, "then they're going to pay! No one turns my sister into a vegetable and gets away with it!"

"You can plan your revenge later," said Timmy as he began working on the ship's circuits, "the primary onboard computer's friend, I have to reroute some systems into the backup computer."

"How are you holding up, Sidney?" Aiden asked.

"Aside from feeling like I'm being slowly electrocuted," said Sidney in an uncomfortable tone, "I'm doing pretty well. Fortunately for me, Cid installed a whole series of surge protectors and backup systems, I'll have us completely back online in seconds." She then looked concerned, "but the others aren't so lucky, they'll crash before they bypass the damage to their systems."

But then Tecna transformed and had used her magic to 'hardwire' herself into the ship, literary becoming a backup computer.

"And interesting plan," said Sidney, "I'll have to tell Tron about it."

* * *

_…Shadowhaunt…_

"Is that the best The Trix can throw against my friends?" Kairi asked as she watched an image of the events aboveground, "they're getting rusty!"

"It'll take a lot more than some bad weather to stop my friends!" said Bloom defiantly.

"That is not my concern," said Darkar as he walked over and ran one talon-like finger across Bloom, causing her to flinch with disgust, "as long as your friends are occupied until I turn you into Dark Bloom, I've already won."

"Pardon my curiosity," said Sephiroth, "but if turning Bloom to the dark side is so important, why have you not done it yet?"

"That's right," said Kairi, "what's taking so long?"

"Whatever you're going to do to me," said Bloom, "just get it over with and stop wasting my time!"

"Are you truly so eager to become evil again?" Darkar asked, "still, it is a viable question. The answer, simply put, is that I am just not ready to do it. I do not have what I need yet. But fear not, what I need is soon coming."

"Well, either way," said Bloom, "it won't work!"

"Oh, but it shall," said Darkar, "it shall. For the seeds of my success have already been planted."

"What are you talking about?" Bloom asked. Her expression then turned into that of shocked fear, "wait…you don't mean?"

"I did it," said the Doppelganger, "not only did I cause the demon to possess you, I also ensured that the demon could get back inside you after it had been exorcised. A simple dark spell to leave a back door open in your heart, a small one, but big enough for the demon to squeeze through."

"And he shall return," said Darkar, "the demon shall take possession of you once again, Bloom, I shall see to it myself."

* * *

"This is turning out to be a delicious piece of just deserts for our enemies," said Stormy as she sent more dark lighting at the two ships, forcing them to land.

"And now to put some icing on the cake!" said Icy as a side effect of her malicious dark magic caused snow to fall in the area. Icy then created a gigantic sledgehammer of ice that towered above the two ships. The frozen pillar and hammerhead then began to crack, threatening to cause it to crash onto the two ships.

"Oh this is bad," said a frantic Chatta, "we're about to get squished! Just like those little trees out there!"

Indeed, the dark magic-powered storm had damaged the shrubs in the area, and it irked Flora something fierce.

"Not if I can help it!" she said confidently, "Timmy, open the hatch!"

"Don't argue with her," said Helia, "just do it."

"Okay," said Timmy. He pressed the button that lowered the rear hatch.

Flora then transformed into her fairy outfit, with her looped pin and Charmix accessory, which looked like a rose-shaped shoulder bag. She flew outside and around the cracking ice sledgehammer, which was only seconds away from falling on the two ships.

"Not this year!" said Flora as she cast a spell on the ground below. Several large green vines sprouted from the soil and rose towards the ice sledgehammer.

"Oh please," said Icy as she smiled wickedly, "a few vines? Is that all she can do?"

But then the vines got bigger and wrapped themselves around the sledgehammer and acted like support struts. Smiling confidently at her work, Flora returned inside the ship, much to the cheers of her friends.

"Well, there goes that plan," said Darcy.

"How dare that little flower child ruin my plan!" exclaimed Icy as she powered up another frozen spell, "I'll burry them all in a blizzard!" She then unleashed her spell that created a lot of snow that began to cover both ships, "how do you like those apples!"

* * *

_…Downland…_

"Bring it on, your majesty!" said Brandon as he, Sky, Riku and Tess, prepared to face the mad princess and her trog warriors, "ready when you are!"

"So be it!" said Armentia as she twirled her spear around, "taste my steel!" she then rushed at Brandon, viciously jabbing the spear at his head. He was taken by surprise by her ferocious assault, barely avoiding being impaled by the spear's four blades.

"Hey, take it easy!" said Brandon, "stop being so serious or I'll have to fight back!" he then brought his energy sword up to parry the jabbing spear.

"That's what I want!" said Armentia as she swung the butt of her spear at Brandon's legs, knocking him off balance and sending him to the floor, his energy sword falling out of his hand.

"Is that the best you can do?" an outraged Armentia asked. Letting out a cry of fury, she jumped up, intending to stab Brandon in the heart with her spear. Brandon barely rolled out of the way in time, the spear catching his cloak and tearing a bit of it off.

Sky, meanwhile, was having a bit of a staring contest with one of the trog warriors, each waiting for the other to blink before attacking. Sky blinked first and the trog swung his club at Sky, which he barely jumped out of the way in time to avoid being splattered. He then brought his energy sword down, cutting off the top half of the club.

The other trog was having a much harder time as he faced both Riku and Tess, whom were circling the not too bright warrior and preventing him from attacking any one of them.

"I feel bad about just watching," said Aisha to Sponsus, "I ought to be helping my friends in this fight, don't you think?"

"Come now," said Sponsus, "a brave and beautiful fairy such as yourself doesn't need to prove anything by fighting. Would you care for some tea?"

"Oh, I'd love some," said Aisha. Sponsus then signaled for a maid to bring over a tea service.

"Fight, damn you!" Armentia spat at Brandon, "or I'll have you stuffed and mounted as a trophy faster than you can say…" she then said something that Brandon couldn't understand.

"Now why would I ever say that?" Brandon asked.

"You are seriously grinding my gears!" said Armentia as she tossed her spear aside, then began moving her arms so fast that Brandon couldn't keep up. She then delivered a hard punch to his midsection that sent him skidding back several paces.

"Oh, that had to hurt," said Aisha between sips of tea.

"Brandon was wrong to underestimate the princess," said Sponsus, "she's far stronger than she looks."

"Could have fooled me," said Aisha.

Just then the trog facing Sky roared in fury and threw what was left of his club at Sky. It hit Sky in the chest and knocked him down.

"Blond boy make Ronto hopping mad!" shouted the trog warrior as he stomped over and prepared to smash Sky, who rolled out of the way just in time to avoid being squished by the trog's oversized foot. Sky then recovered his energy sword.

"Alright, tough guy," siad Sky, "you asked for it!" he then rushed at the trog.

"They're slow as snails," said Tess as she bashed her Keyblade against the other trog's leg, "but they're built like brick walls!"

"Keep at it!" said Riku as he dodged a club swipe, "hit anything hard enough and it'll break!"

Meanwhile, both Brandon and Armentia had recovered their weapons, "I was trying to teach you how to say 'I surrender' in the language of Downland," said Armentia as she and Brandon circled each other.

"Hey, you said it," remarked Brandon, "not me!"

"I'll teach you to make jokes, funny boy!" snapped Armentia. With that they rushed at each other again.

"We really don't have time for this!" said Riku as he dodged another club swipe.

"I agree!" said Sky, "let's end this!"

"If you can't break something," said Tess, "then push it!" she then went invisible, startling the trog into overbalancing. Riku then got behind the trog and pushed it, while Sky got behind his opponent and pushed him as well. As luck would have it, both trogs fell on Armentia.

"My darling!" exclaimed Sponsus as he and Aisha rushed over, "are you alright?"

"Get off of me, you numbskulls!" spat Armentia as she extricated herself from the two fallen trog warriors. Her expression softened as she and Sponsus embraced, "I'm fine, dearest, nothing harmed save my pride," she then looked at our heroes as Sky, Brandon, Riku and Tess got their breath back.

"But it was worth it," said Armentia, "Brandon, despite your shortcomings, you displayed a formidable strategy. Feigning incompetence to lull me into a false sense of security, then whammo! You flattened me before I saw it coming," she then smiled eagerly, "care to make it two out of three?"

"What? No!" said Brandon in an exasperated tone, while the others also looked exasperated, "no way! I won fair and square. A deal is a deal."

"Of course," said Armentia, "another time perhaps. But it will have to wait. I've just had an idea. Come, we shall address the masses of Downland and formerly declare war on Shadowhaunt, as well as state our intention to helping you uplanders."

"Whatever makes you happy, darling," said Sponsus.

"You know," said Sky, "I think we may be able to save Bloom and Kairi after all, assuming we're still in time."

"We can only hope," said Riku.

* * *

"There's no way they'll get out of this," said Darcy as the dark magic fueled blizzard continued to burry the two ships.

"It's about time," said Icy. With that the three dark witches took flight.

"It's really starting to get cold," said a shivering Sora, "what's wrong with the heating, Sidney?"

"The central heating system is still offline," said Sidney, "forgive me for ignoring your comfort this one time, but I was focusing on keeping the ship from crashing."

"We'll figure out something else," said The King.

"Soon I hope," said Aiden.

"Remind me why we didn't pack cold weather gear for this?" Riven asked.

"Because we can be idiots sometimes," said Morgan.

"Timmy, Tecna, how you guys coming along?" Stella asked, who was shivering harder than the others, "we could really use some heat right about now!"

"The systems are still offline from Stormy's dark lighting," said Tecna as she and Timmy worked on getting the electricity back on, "we're still trying to restore power."

"Then we'll worry about heat," said Timmy.

"Any idea how long it'll take?" Musa asked, "I don't think the pixies can take much more of this cold!"

Indeed, the bonded pixies were feeling the worst of the cold.

"It doesn't look good," said Elise, "I wish I could tell you otherwise, but my estimate is that we'll freeze to death before we can restore power."

"We can only hope that Sky and the others get here with reinforcements in time," said Timmy.

At that Stella looked utterly outraged, "what? No way are we relying on that boyfriend stealing bitch, Armentia! It's time we put an end to all of this freezing!"

"Bad idea," said Timmy as he pointed to a hologram of the outside that was produced by a secondary scanner, showing the vines holding up the ice sledgehammer.

"Listen, Timmy," said Stella, "maybe you and the other smart people like the idea of freezing to death, but as for me and the pixies, we've had it! Now open the doors, I'm going to bring about a red hot spring thaw!" she then pressed a button that opened the hatch and walked outside and transformed.

She then unleashed a massive spell that produced enough solar rays to melt the ice on the ships and set the vines on fire. Almost instantly, all power on both ships were restored.

"Uh-oh!" said Helia as he saw the scanner data, "those vines could break any second now!"

"And that big ice thing is still above us," said Aiden, "someone step on the gas peddle!"

"Sidney!" said Sora.

"Tecna!" said Timmy.

"Full power to thrusters!" said Sidney.

"Engines online and at max thrust!" said Tecna.

Both ships got away from the big ball of ice just as the vines broke, narrowly avoiding being crushed by a fraction of a second.

They landed at the far end of the canyon, just as a large yellow and gray worm that had hundreds of red legs, eruptedout of the rock. It was followed by Sky, Brandon, Aisha, Riku and Tess.

Stella happily ran out of the cruiser and embraced Brandon, "and here I thought you were going to be the new king of downland."

"No way," said Brandon, "that place is crazy enough for me."

"My hero," said Stella.

As everyone exited the ships to welcome back Sky and the others, Sora saw Tecna and Timmy talking.

"I know I'll never be a hero with a sword, Tecna," said Timmy as he took his glasses off, "But, I still want to be your hero."

"You always have been mine," said Tecna. With that the two off them embraced and kissed, for apparently the first time.

"Now put your glasses on," said Tecna, "before you bump into something."

"So you really pulled it off, Sky," said Riven, "you got the rock worm, good work."

"It looks more of a caterpillar than a worm," said Aiden as he, Malcolm and Mirta walked around the giant creature, "are you sure this thing can do the job?"

"This big bad bug can chew through miles of rock within minutes," said Malcolm, "I did a report of them in grammar school."

"Mom put it on the fridge for all of us to see," said Mirta.

"I'm just glad we got the thing," said Sky, "and I hope we got it in time to save everyone; Bloom, Kairi and everything else."

"You can say that again," remarked Sora.

* * *

_…Shadowhaunt..._

Just then a large glass sphere full of black smoke appeared in Darkar's hand, "ah, here is the necessary," he said triumphantly. He then held the smoke-filled sphere towards Bloom, "recognize this creature? You should, you were very intimate with it not too long ago."

At that Bloom looked absolutely terrified, "as if I'll ever forget that thing," she said in a trembling tone, "Ozezil."

"No way!" said Kairi, "I was there when Carmen and Elise did the exorcism ritual! They sent Ozezil back to hell and he can't get out for a hundred years."

"Normally that is the case," said Darkar, "but with my dark powers, I was able to raise Ozezil out of Perdition, all so I can reunite him with Bloom," he glared at Bloom, "the time has come for you to embrace the darkness!"

"No!" Bloom shouted defiantly, "I won't let that thing take control of me again! My friends will find a way to stop you!"

"They're too late!" said Darkar as he held the sphere above his head in both hands, "and soon, you'll be more than willing to destroy your friends yourself!" he then broke the sphere, shattering the glass and releasing the black smoke within. Instantly it shot towards Bloom and engulfed her.

"No!" shouted Kairi, "Fight it, Bloom! Fight that thing! Don't let it take away who you are!"

From within the black smoke, Kairi could hear Bloom screaming in agony.

"At last, the ultimate creature of darkness has arrived!" said Darkar, "Dark Bloom! Arise!"

The black smoke then condensed onto Bloom, absorbing itself into her body. Once it was all inside of her, she lay on the altar, apparently unconscious.

"Bloom!" shouted Kairi, "Bloom, are you alright?"

Just then in a flash of dark magic, the bindings holding Bloom to the altar vanished. She sat up and with another flash of dark magic, she was in her dark blue, insidious fairy outfit, her hair frizzled in a malicious way.

She opened her eyes, now yellow and snakelike, and glared at Kairi.

"Sorry, Kairi," said Bloom in a vicious tone, "but Bloom isn't here right now, her body is under new management!" at that she and Dakar both laughed, their voices dripping with pure evil.

The end of chapter 7.

Next chapter finds our heroes attacking Shadowhaunt, but will their efforts be in vain as Bloom, posessed by the demon, joins forces with Darkar and bring about unparallel darkness in the Magical Dimension? Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!


	8. Chapter 8: Attacking the Darkness

Last time found our heroes and allies trying to make sense of the betrayal of the Avalon doppleganger and the abduction of Bloom, with Kairi chasing after them into Shadowhaunt. Once in the lair of Darkar, Kairi was taken prisoner and Bloom restrained, while Darkar, The Trix, Sephiroth and Xehanort gloated on.

Back at Alfea, while getting ready to attack Shadowhaunt and rescue Bloom and Kairi, along with the arrival of King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Sidney and the improved Intrepid Heart, Sora and the gang were introduced to Malcolm, younger brother of Mirta and a Keyblade Wielder in his own right, whom asked to join Sora and the others.

Tecna then told everyone that they needed a bigger tunnel in order to successfully attack Shadowhaunt. Sky suggested that they visit Brandon's 'old flame,' the perfection-obsessed Princess Armentia of Downland, whom after careful convincing, including defeating her in a very serious duel, agreed to help our heroes fight the enemy.

But in Shadowhaunt, things maybe already too late, for Darkar had summoned the demon whom had earlier possessed Bloom back from hell to take control of her again.

'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 8: Attacking the Darkness**

The black smoke then condensed onto Bloom, absorbing itself into her body. Once it was all inside of her, she lay on the altar, apparently unconscious.

"Bloom!" shouted Kairi, "Bloom, are you alright?"

Just then in a flash of dark magic, the bindings holding Bloom to the altar vanished. She sat up and with another flash of dark magic, she was in her dark blue, insidious fairy outfit, her hair frizzled in a malicious way.

She opened her eyes, now yellow and snakelike, and glared at Kairi.

"Sorry, Kairi," said Bloom in a vicious tone, "but Bloom isn't here right now, her body is under new management!" at that she and Dakar both laughed, their voices dripping with pure evil.

"No," said Kairi in a tone that was both fearful and defiant, "this isn't happening! This is not happening!"

"Face it, you little red head bitch," said Bloom, "it's happening. Ozezil's back, and man, it feels great to be in this body again," she stretched her arms up in the air, "not only is Bloom the best looker of all the humans I've taken over, she's also the most powerful. All that raw magic running through her, it's luxurious, and now it's mine, forever!"

"I don't believe that!" said Kairi, "Bloom! I know you're in there! Fight back! Fight to take back your life!"

"Oh, how precious," said Bloom, or rather, Dark Bloom, in teasing tone, "the little bitch is trying to reach her friend," she walked up to Kairi and slapped her across the face, "get the picture, Kairi! Bloom has left the building, thank you and goodnight, ladies and gentlemen!"

"What really has become of Bloom?" Xehanort asked, "with all due respect, Ozezil, but what of her soul?"

"Oh, it's still in here," said Dark Bloom, tapping her heart, "I've locked it away where it can't cause any trouble. I'd rip it out and send it to hell, but unfortunately I can't do anything to that soul until its body dies, and no way am I letting this body die," she smiled wickedly and hugged herself, "it just feels _so_ comfy inside her."

"Go back to hell, you damn dirty demon!" spat Kairi.

"Now why would I want to do that?" Dark Bloom asked, "let me tell you a secret; hell sucks, a lot."

"Gee, I'd think a filthy abomination like you would enjoy it," said Kairi.

"Then why is it that my kind is always trying to get out and possess people?" Dark Bloom asked. "Hell isn't all fire and brimstone. It's only hot for specific damned souls who merit specific eternal punishments, and not even the worst punishments at that.

"No, the worst parts of hell are cold, dark and oddly quiet. The outer reaches of hell are deafeningly loud with the screams and wails of the damned, crying out at their eternal torments, but the farther down you go, the quieter it gets, until you're in the deep parts, the cold and dark parts, as far from the light as you can get. Then it's deafening again, but a silent deafening. Believe me, hell is a hellhole.

"But enough about hell," she then walked towards Darkar, "you, I owe big time for getting me out of that place. I mean it, you ask for it, I'll do it for you. You want me to go and kill all of Bloom's friends and family? Their graves are already dug." she then cast a spell that dripped with dark magic, "there, I've dug their graves outside."

Darkar produced an image with his cloak of the cavern floor hundreds of feet below the inverted castle, revealing dozens of freshly dug graves, "impressive. Your control over Bloom's magic is most impressive indeed, my dear Ozezil," he then vanished the image, "but I have something more grand in mind as payment for my raising you from perdition."

"Oh, I know what you want," said Dark Bloom, "you want me to use Bloom's magic to help you open the door to Realix. You want the ultimate power. Consider it done."

"Then let us begin," said Dakrar, "there is much to do and little time to accomplish it."

"You bastard!" snapped Kairi, "just wait until Sora and the others get here! They'll rip you apart!" she then glared at Dark Bloom, "and they'll send you back to hell where you belong!"

"Let them come!" said Darkar, "by the time they reach my fortress, I will have already claimed The Ultimate Power!"

"But it will matter little to you, my dear Kairi," said Xehanort, "for I have something else in mind for you, something you will surely not like."

* * *

_…Outside Shadowhaunt…_

Hundreds off feet below the inverted castle, at the base of the cavern wall, a crack appeared, then another and another, until a large section of the rock wall collapsed. Emerging from a freshly carved tunnel was the giant rock worm. Riding atop it was Armentia, the eccentric princess grinning smugly as the rock worm trundled into the enemy cavern. Behind the rock worm was a large host of trog warriors.

"Alright, we're through!" Armentia said triumphantly. She then noticed that the sudden emergence of the rock worm had attracted scores of Darkar's shadow monsters.

"Onward, my brave warriors!" Armentia shouted as she branished her spear, "let's show Darkar what we Downlanders what we're made of! Charge!" with that the trog host rushed at the shadow monsters. Armentia jumped down from the giant worm and took the lead of her army. They crashed into the throngs of monsters and began hacking them to pieces.

"Send a signal to the surface!" shouted Armentia as she sliced a humanoid shadow monster in half, "we're through!"

* * *

_…Aboveground…_

"We're getting Armentia's signal!" said Brandon, "they're through!"

"Punch it!" shouted both Sora and Stella.

The two ships then flew into the tunnel dug by the rock worm. Although it was wide enough for the ships to pass through, it narrowed at random spots due to slight instabilities in the tunnel walls.

"The scanners are picking up a massive dark magic signature," said Timmy, "if that's not Shadowhaunt, I don't know what is."

"Keep your eyes on the tunnel walls," said Riku, "and keep your distance, we could crash into each other by accident!"

"Don't remind me," said Riven.

"At this rate we'll be in the cavern in five minutes," said Elise.

"We'd better get ready then," said Aisha, while Stella, Tecna, Flora, and Musa, all nodded in agreement.

"You nervous?" Sora asked Malcolm, "it's okay to be scared."

"I'm more than scared," said Malcolm, his hands trembling slightly in nervous anticipation, "not of the actual fighting, that I can handle. I'm more afraid that I'll screw up somehow and let you all down."

"Don't talk like that," said Tess, "you'll do fine. I was scared during my first battle as a Keyblade Wielder, and I spent years as a cold blooded killer."

"I had just seen my whole village wiped out by Heartless," said Aiden, "talk about scared."

"We all were scared in our first major Heartless battle," said Riku, "but the thing about fear is that you can either use it to help you fight, or let it take over and run away."

"Kairi's probably the most scared of us all," said Sora, "but she wouldn't run away, not without Bloom that is."

"I was scared when The Trix turned me into a pumpkin last year," said Mirta, "I was afraid I'd be a plant for the rest of my life."

"I know where this is going," said Malcolm, "you're going to tell me that friendship, courage and love can overcome anything. I know all that." he then looked serious, "what I don't know is what I'm going to do to The Trix when I catch them. Should I skin them alive? Or should I throw them into a vat of acid? Or maybe skin them and then throw them into acid. Decisions, decisions."

"Who said you were going to catch them?" Brandon asked.

"If anyone's going to deal with The Trix, it's us," said Stella.

"We've suffered far more from them than you ever did," said Musa, "we'll deal with them."

"No rehab for them this time," said Carmen, "it's straight to the nearest tree for a triple hanging."

"Or a tree stump and an axe," said Tess.

"That'll work too," said Morgan "And I know where you can get a good deal on an axe."

"Sorry, guys," said King Mickey, "but I'm afraid what'll happen to The Trix isn't up to any of you."

"Why not?" Riven asked, "why can't we destroy them?"

"It's not like we can hand them over to the authorities," said Elise, "sure, they'd go to jail, but they'd bring in a sleazebag lawyer and they'd be out on bail. Then when the trial comes, they'd get acquitted, or at least get a suspended sentence. Then we'd start this whole mess all over again."

"That's assuming they don't run away before the trial," said Carmen.

"All the more reason to kill them," said Morgan, "kill them now before they escape justice again."

"They won't," said The King as he held up his mobile, "Not this time. I hope you're all listening for this. I just heard from Faragonda, who heard this from the Magix Superior Court. The Trix have been tried _in absentia_."

"What does that mean?" Sora asked.

"It means that they were put on trial without them actually being in the courtroom during the trial," said Sky.

"They can do that?" Aisha asked, "on Andros, all trials must have the accused in the courtroom."

"Same on our world," said Mirta, while Malcolm nodded in agreement."

"Well, apparently trial _in absentia _is allowed on Magix," said Tecna as she checked her computer, "and they did have a trial for The Trix."

"They were charged with multiple crimes," said King Mickey, "several counts of aggravated assault, attempted murder, kidnapping, grand larceny and a lot of other crimes, including various acts of terrorism and collaborating with Lord Darkar, which in itself is a crime. Less than an hour ago the jury reached a verdict; guilty."

"Are you sure?" Carmen asked in a suspicious tone, "are you really sure?"

"That's what Faragonda told me," said King Mickey, "the actual verdict was 'Incredibly Guilty' of all charges."

"Well, that's good news," said Aisha, "now they'll have to pay for their crimes."

"Are you kidding?" Morgan asked, "this is The Trix we're talking about. They've gotten away with a suspended sentence, I just know it."

"Nope," said King Mickey.

"Then they've received the death penalty?" Carmen asked hopefully.

"Did they get the axe or not?" Tess asked.

"Wrong again," said King Mickey in a grave tone, "but they'll wish they got the death penalty. They will, after they hear where they're going."

"What are you…?" Sky asked, "wait, they're not going to Omega, are they?"

"Yep," said The King, "they were sentence to spend the rest of eternity in Omega."

"Oh, wow," said Carmen in a deflated tone, "They will wish for death after hearing that."

"What's Omega?" Sora asked.

"It's a rogue planet out in the middle of nowhere," said Elise, "far from the warmth of a star, Omega is completely icebound and colder than Domino. It's so cold there, your heart will freeze in a matter of minutes unless you're protected with magic."

"It was turned into a maximum security prison long ago," said Tecna, "only the worst of the worst criminals in The Magical Dimension are sent to Omega. They're placed in cryogenetic suspension and dropped onto Omega, where the worlds' dominant species, Frost Basilisks, keep watch over the frozen prisoners forever. No one has ever escaped from Omega, so it's reasonable that the authorities would send The Trix there."

"I don't envy them one bit," said Carmen, "this is the most fitting punishment they deserve. I'd rather see them dead, but having them frozen away forever suits me all the same."

"We still have to catch them first," said Helia.

"We'll get our chance soon enough," said Timmy, "we'll be there in thirty seconds!"

"Good luck everyone!" said The King.

Half a minute later the two ships shot out of the tunnel into the cavern. They passed over Armentia and her Trog army as they battled the swarms of shadow monsters.

"Well, look at that," said Stella as she saw the battle below, "looks like our friend, the crazy princess, is up to her old tricks again, huh, Brandon?"

"She knows what she's doing," said Brandon, "I hope."

"Either way," said Sky, "Armentia's got her end of the battle, and we've got ours."

The two ships then flew towards the inverted castle.

"That's Darkar's fortress?" Sora asked.

"That's it," said Timmy as the two ships circled around the inverted castle.

"It's so enormous," said a slightly nervous Flora.

"Yeah, well," said Musa, also in a nervous tone, "but remember, the bigger they are, the harder they fall."

"I always thought it was 'the bigger that they are, the more likely we are to get blown to kingdom come,'" said Stella in a pessimistic tone, "all while trying to rescue our friends and save the universe."

"Stella," said Tecna in an annoyed tone, "given the present situation, your jokes aren't appropriate, you ought to know that, right?"

"Do I sound like I'm joking?" Stella asked.

"We haven't even started fighting yet," said Tess, "and already you're giving up? I thought you were made of stronger stuff, Stella."

"Well, if you've got an idea that'll help us win, I'm all ears," said Stella.

"As a matter of fact, I do," said Tess. She looked at Sora, Riku and Aiden, "you remember when we infiltrated New Hollow Bastion, and Nikolai planted all of those demolition spells to destroy the castle?"

"We nearly got crushed escaping," said Aiden, "why, you want to blow up the fortress?"

"Exactly," said Tess, "when we get inside, we're going to plant demolition spells and turn that fortress into rubble, after we save Bloom and Kairi of course."

"Of course," said Flora, "but, we don't know any demolition spells." at that Musa, Aisha, Tecna and Stella all shook their heads.

"Neither do we," said Carmen, while Morgan and Elise shook their heads.

"I don't know any," said Mirta as she pulled something out of her pocket, something that turned out to be a small pack of sticky notes, "but I did prepare some explosive runes this morning, just in case."

"Of course!" said an eager Morgan as she also pulled out a pad of sticky notes from her pocket, "explosive runes! I always keep some handy, just in case."

"Why would you have explosive runes in your pocket?" Aiden asked, "wouldn't you worry about them going off?"

"They'll only go off when you activate them with a spell," said Morgan, "and you can set them to go off by remote command."

"But why did you have them in your pockets?" Aiden asked.

"Why not have them handy?" Mirta asked.

"Okay, we've got a plan to destroy the fortress," said Riven.

"But we still have to get inside and save our friends first," said Stella.

"I think we've got a bigger problem to take care of first," said Musa.

"What's that then?" Sora asked.

"How about the swarm of shadow bats coming right for us!" said Aisha as she pointed straight ahead, for there was a giant flock of flying shadow monsters heading right for the two ships, "watch out!"

"Shields up!" said Sidney, "forward lasers armed and ready!"

"Shoot!" shouted both Sora and Brandon. The weapons on both ships then fired upon the swarm of shadow bats, blasting a hole through the flock that the ships passed through.

"Score one for us!" said Brandon.

"Nicely done, Brandon!" said Stella as she hugged him.

"There's more of them out there!" said Flora as another swarm of shadow bats flew towards them. The two ships dodged the swarm, only to have the swarm circle around and come at them from behind.

* * *

_…Inside the Fortress…_

"What are you going to do to me?" Kairi asked, her voice mixed with fear and defiance.

"It's quite simple," said Xehanort, "I'm going to kill you. I can't promise that I will be quick and painless, but your fate has been sealed."

"Why do you want to kill me?" Kairi asked, "other than that I hate your guts and want to see you punished for what you did."

"I have my reasons," said Xehanort, "and as soon I explore Realix and delve into its secrets, I shall take your life."

"There is one small problem with your plan, Xehanort," said Darkar, "you are not going to Realix!"

Before either Xehanort or Sephiroth could react, they were surrounded by red energy fields. Xehanort tried to touch it with his hand but it zapped him with a spark of red lightning. Sephiroth tried to draw Masamune, but the confining space of the energy field prevented him from drawing the sword an inch from its scabbard.

"What is this!" Xehanort demanded, "what is the meaning of this treachery!"

"I am merely betraying you before you betray me," said Darkar.

"I saw this coming miles away," Dark Bloom said smugly.

"Why would I betray you, Lord Darkar?" Xehanort asked, "I thought we had an understanding. What have I ever done to give you the preposterous idea that I would ever betray you?"

"Do you honestly take me for a fool?!" exclaimed Darkar, "from the moment your dog, Sephiroth, arrived in my presence and declared that he was your emissary, I knew that you intended to stab me in the back and seize The Ultimate Power for yourself.

"You believed that you could get the best of me. You dare to match wits with Darkar? I who have existed since the beginning of time! I who have witnessed the rise and fall of kingdoms and empires. I who have created and lead entire armies of servants of the dark. I who instigated the downfall of Domino. I who have turned the most powerful fairy of them all to the darkness."

"You're the one who called yourself a fool," said Kairi.

"He ain't the one all chained up and about to die," said Dark Bloom.

But then Xehanort smiled viciously at Darkar, "so, you've gotten the better of me. Well played. But what now?"

"Now," said Darkar, "I shall send you on your way."

"You're letting us go?" Sephiroth asked irately, "if this is a jest, then just wait until I free myself. I'll show you what happens to those who try to make a fool of me!"

"This is no jest," said Darkar, "you are free to go. You mean nothing to me now. I could destroy you as easy as stepping on an insect, but I chose not to, you are hardly worth the effort."

"Not worth the effort!?" exclaimed Sephiroth as he placed his hand on Masamune, "I'll show you who's worth it!"

"Stay your hand, my friend," said Xehanort, "it's clear that we've worn out our welcome, so let us take our leave while we have the opportunity to do so with grace and dignity."

"Grace and dignity," said Sephiroth in a tone that he hated those virtues, at least in this situation, "so be it, let's go."

"But before we leave," said Xehanort, "I ask a simple favor of you, Lord Darkar. Let me see that Kairi's doom is sealed."

"Very well," said Darkar as he released Xehanort and Sephiroth from the energy fields, "do what you will with the girl, she is of no value to me."

"But she is valuable to me," Xehanort, "as a message to Sora."

"What does Sora have to do with any of this?" Kairi asked.

"It has everything to do with him," said Xehanort, "he still has Ventus's heart."

At that Kairi was slightly taken aback. Sora didn't have Ven's heart, not anymore that is. It was passed into Roxas' heart when Sora used the dark Keyblade to free Kairi's heart from his body. But Xehanort didn't know this, and somehow, that made Kairi feel very confident.

"So, Sora has Ven's heart," said Kairi, "What, you gonna try to get it out of him and try to make the _X_-Blade again? It didn't work last time, so what makes you think it'll work this time?"

"Because I'm a tenacious man," said Xehanort, "and I'm willing to try again, and this time it will work! I shall take Ven's heart from Sora, and once I've revived Vanitus, I'll merge him and Ven together, and the _X_-Blade shall be mine!

"Which brings us to you, Kairi. You see, the reason why I haven't gone after Sora myself is that I simply don't have the proper means to take Ven's heart from him yet, not without damaging the heart in the process, and I need it intact for my plan to work.

"I will be ready in due time, but until then, I want Sora to suffer. I want him to experience agonies the likes of which he could never imagine, and I'll start by eliminating his friends and loved ones, one by one. I would have saved you for last, Kairi, but why wait, when such a golden opportunity such as now presents itself?

"Just imagine the heartbreak Sora will experience when he learns that the love of his life is dead. Then imagine that pain multiplied over and over when his friends and allies die around him, one by one. I will drive Sora into the depths of darkness, and when his suffering has reached its peak, then I shall step in and rip Ven's heart from him."

After hearing this, Kairi was afraid, not only for herself, but for Sora. The last thing she would ever want was for Sora to be in pain.

Still, Kairi refused to allow Xehanort the satisfaction of seeing her frightened. "You should know by now that Sora's made of stronger stuff," said Kairi, "we all are; Riku, Tess, Aiden, everyone who knows and love Sora, we're tougher than we look. So go ahead and kill me. Torture me to death, rape me, drive me to suicide, it doesn't matter, because no matter what you do to me, Sora will never give in to the darkness! And he'll never let you get Ven's heart!"

"We'll see about that," said Xehanort, "and now for your death."

"And just what are you going to do to me?" Kairi asked boldly, "throw me off a really tall building? Run me over with lawnmowers and turn me into mulch? Crush me with stampeding elephants? Throw me into a room full of rabid dogs? Or a room full of killer bees? Or a room with rabid dogs that have killer bees in their mouths so that when they bark they spit bees at me? Go ahead! Do your worst!"

At that Xehanort paused in thought, "you've proposed some interesting ideas, my dear. I'll have to think about it."

"If you don't mind," said Dark Bloom as she stepped forward, a wicked smile on her face, "I've got an idea of my own." She then whispered something into Xehanort's ear.

"What is it?" Sephiroth asked, "what is that she-demon saying to you?"

Xehanort smiled viciously as he heard the suggestion, "what a delightfully demonic idea you have," he said, "by all means, do it."

"With pleasure," said Dark Bloom. She then walked up to Kairi, "you'll never guess what I'm going to do to you."

"I don't need to guess," said Kairi, daring to play her one wild card, her once chance to save herself and Bloom or risk getting killed outright, "I'm ending this madness right here and now!"

At that Dark Bloom laughed cruelly, "and just what are you going to do?"

"It's simple, actually," said Kairi as she glared at Dark Bloom square in the eye, "I already said that I was there when Carmen and Elise sent you back to hell. What I didn't say was that I remember the exorcism ritual word for word!"

Kairi then closed her eyes in concentration and began chanting…

"_Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus_

_omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio_…"

"Not this time!" said Dark Bloom. With a wave of her hand she shot a beam of dark magic at Kairi's throat.

She gasped in shock and went silent as the beam of dark magic retracted from her, taking with it a white orb of light, which Dark Bloom enchased in a small glass bottle.

"In case you're wondering," said Dark Bloom, "I stole your voice. Sora shouldn't have told Bloom about Ariel and Ursula," she then laughed viciously, "that's right, I know everything that Bloom knows, her mind and memories are at my disposal, all of them, including the time she and a few friends snuck into a specific R rated movie, one that inspired me on how to kill you."

With another wave of her hand, there was a flash of dark magic and a metal device enchased itself around Kairi's head and inserted itself into her mouth.

"The reverse bear trap from Saw," said Dark Bloom, "and there's no key to free yourself. In one hour the trap will spring and rip your jaw free from your head."

Terrified, Kairi now heard the soft ticking of a stopwatch that was attached to the back of the device.

"I've also added a little extra to the game," said Dark Bloom, "in the unlikely event that Sora and the other pathetic peons show up to try and save you, I've spelled the trap so that I'll go off the second they try to free you from it." She then laughed viciously again, "I am just loving this girl's magic, it's so awesome!" she then looked at Xehanort, "well, what do you think?"

"And impressive method of death," said Xehanort, "Kairi, utterly helpless, forced to listen as the clock countdowns to her demise, all the while fully aware that should her friends try to save her, she will still die, yes, very impressive." He then looked at Dark Bloom, "it's a shame that we have to part company this way, we could have done great things together, Ozezil."

"Yeah, that would be swell," said Dark Bloom, "but I've got bigger fish to fry, old man, so get the frak out of here, before I sick a pack of hell hounds on your ass!"

"We've worn out our welcome," said Sephiroth in an insisting manner, "let's go already."

"Indeed," said Xehanort. He then summoned a Dark Corridor that crackled with black lightning, "farewell, Lord Darkar, I hope you find what you have been searching for." With that he and Sephiroth stepped into the Dark Corridor, which vanished after them.

* * *

_…Castle Oblivion…_

"Why did we leave without a fight?" Sephiroth asked irately as they proceeded through the castle corridors, "I could have easily defeated that bag of bones, Darkar. He only surprised me just now."

"Don't make a bigger fool of yourself than you already are!" snapped Xehanort, "Darkar had the upper hand the whole time we were there, I only now realize this. He could have destroyed us any time he wanted. He only allowed us to retreat because he thought us no threat."

"Then it was all for nothing," said Sephiroth.

"Not exactly," said Xehanort, "Though we have lost our chance to seize the Ultimate Power, I learned a great deal of the secrets within Shadowhaunt, a feeble consolation prize, but it will suffice. Now, let us return to my office and finish watching this drama on the Interocitor."

"So we're right back where we started," said an annoyed Sephiroth, "watching. You should have let me try to cut Darkar's head off."

"I doubt he would have let you get even close," said Xehanort. This remark was a grave insult to Sephiroth's pride as a swordsman, but the one-winged angel kept it to himself, adding it to his growing resentment for the dark master, but willing to wait until the right time to destroy the old man.

* * *

_…Shadowhaunt…_

"Are you sure that was a good idea, allowing them to leave, master?" the Doppelganger of Avalon asked.

"They were of little consequence," said Darkar, "they will be dealt with in due time, after I have The Ultimate Power, and speaking of which," he looked at the possessed fairy, "my dear Dark Bloom," he said as he took her hand in his claws, "the time has come to activate The Codex and open the passageway to The Realm of Realix and The Ultimate Power!"

"I can hardly wait," said Dark Bloom in an eager tone.

Just then Icy, Darcy and Stormy walked into the throne room.

"Excuse me!" said Icy, "I hate to rain on your parade, Lord Darkar, but we have a small matter to attend to first."

"All our enemies have managed to get inside the cavern," said Stormy, "The Winx, Specialists, those traitor witches and meddling Keyblade brats."

"And they've brought along some shiny toys that could potentially demolish this fortress," said Darcy. All three dark witches walked towards Darkar, all of them looking highly annoyed.

"A petty annoyance," said Darkar in a nonchalant tone, "you deal with it if you're so concerned."

"What!" exclaimed Icy in an irate tone, "that's just it? You expect us to go outside and take them all on?"

"By ourselves?" Stormy asked, "that's suicide! I mean, we're bad, but not suicidal."

"After all we've done for you, Lord Darkar," said Darcy, "you're just going to throw us to the wolves?"

At that Darkar grinned viciously, as if contemplating doing just that. "Fear not, my dear witches, you shall not be fighting alone. Assemble my army of shadow monsters; channel your magic into them and they shall do all the fighting for you."

"Oh, that's different," said Stormy, "okay, we'll do that."

"I don't believe this," said an annoyed Dark Bloom, "I gave Bloom a total evil makeover and you haven't said anything about it? What's the matter with you?"

At that The Trix looked at the possessed fairy, "oh yeah, she is evil now," said Stormy.

"She's possessed by a demon," said Darcy.

"It is that obvious?" Icy asked. She then walked up to Dark Bloom, "well, I'll admit it's an improvement, but you're still Bloom, no matter what's in control of her, and I still hate her."

"Oh, that's a shame," said Dark Bloom in a tone that dripped with mock concern, she then smiled viciously, "because she absolutely loathes you, and if she wasn't held back by human inhibitions and morals, she would have destroyed you the first real chance she had, seriously, you three witches wouldn't be alive right now."

"What are you talking about?" Darcy asked.

"We totally creamed Bloom and her friends more than once!" said Stormy.

"True, you were stronger than her on more than one occasion," said Dark Bloom. She then vanished, only to appear behind Stormy, startling her, "but then, one has to take into consideration that a fairy's power is held back by her inner goodness," she then vanished and appeared behind Darcy, startling her, "if a fairy were to have a heart as black as one of yours, or in this case, controlled by a demon," she vanished and appeared behind Icy, startling her, "she would be an all but unstoppable force for darkness."

She then vanished and appeared next to Darkar, "Bloom happens to be the most powerful fairy of her generation, potentially the most powerful alive. If she had her inner darkness hold sway over her powers when she was fighting you, she would have incinerated you all," she then summoned three fireballs, "and now that I'm in the driver's seat, I don't see why I shouldn't destroy you all now and give Bloom the satisfaction her inner rage deserves."

For some reason, the words and actions of the possessed fairy seemed to terrify The Trix into inaction. If Dark Bloom wished to, she could destroy them then and there. All this Kairi observed and it chilled her to the bone.

But then the possessed fairy vanished the fireballs, "but then things would be boring after that," she said, "killing you would only be a one time satisfaction, when I've got bigger fish to fry."

"Indeed," said Darkar, "come then, let us prepare for the ritual."

With that he and Dark Bloom walked out of the room, with the possessed fairy looking back at the three witches and laughing quietly at them.

Almost immediately, The Trix broke out of their fear fugue, "what the hell was that all about?" Darcy exclaimed, "that demon bitch thinks she's so tough! We could crush her like a bug!"

"She's acting tough only because Darkar likes her now," said Stormy, "after all our hard work, he's pushing us aside!"

"Only because he needs her to get his tin mitts on The Ultimate Power," said Icy, "but he'd better not forget who's been doing all the dirty work around here!" with a disgruntled sigh, she and her sisters left the room, completely ignoring Kairi.

_:Well, that was rude of them,: _said Naminé's voice inside Kairi's head.

Surprised to hear her Nobody speaking to her after so long, Kairi tried to respond, but found to her horror that she couldn't use her telepathy. Somehow, when Dark Bloom took her voice, Kairi had also lost her mental power as well.

Naminé seemed to sense Kairi's anxiety, _:It's going to be okay, Kairi,: _said Naminé, _:Sora and the others are on their way. I've been trying to reach Roxas inside Sora, but there's something about Shadowhaunt that's been blocking our mindspeak. I can sense them, though, they're flying around the fortress. I'm hoping that as they get closer, I'll be able to contact them and warn them about that death trap on your head.:_

At that Kairi's panic rose again, she had almost forgotten about the reverse bear trap. She had no idea how much time remained before her head was ripped apart.

_:There's still time for our friends to get here,:_ said Naminé, _:just relax, Kairi, you are not going to die. There's no way that horrible old man, Xehanort, is going to get away with this.:_

Kairi wished she had her Nobody's level of confidence, for things seemed pretty hopeless from her point of view.

* * *

_…Outside the fortress..._

"There's to many of those things!" shouted Brandon as more and more shadow bats chased after the two ships. "I can't shake them!"

"Neither can I!" shouted Riku, "we'll never be able to land at the fortress with these things on our tails."

"And there's another swarm coming right for us!" shouted Morgan.

"Riku," said Timmy, "are you familiar with 'Attack Pattern Delta?'"

"Vaguely," said Riku, "wait, you mean 'rock the boat?'"

"That's exactly what I mean," said Timmy, "rock the boat!"

Both ships pulled a hard right, then a hard left, dodging the oncoming swarm of shadow bats, which collided with the swarm coming from behind. Many of the fell creatures were killed on impact, but more and more kept coming.

"That's enough of that," said Sora in a determined tone, "time to go on the offensive!"

"I agree!" said Sky, "battle stations, everyone! Now remember, Specialists, no fancy stuff. Our job is to get The Winx and everyone else inside the fortress and be there to help them get out."

"Aye, skipper," said an eager Riven.

A short while later Sky had taken off in one of the collapsible fighters, while Riven and Helia had entered a secondary bridge on the cruiser, while the main bridge of the cruiser detached from the rest of the ship in the form of one of the smaller Red fountain ships, carrying everyone else on it.

"That is so cool it's freezing," said Sidney as she and the others aboard _The Intrepid Heart _watched, "reminder for later; ask Cid for additional upgrades in future models."

"I just wish we could do more than just fly around and be chased by these gods damned bats," said Aiden.

"We can hit them," said Tess as she fired the ship's lasers into an oncoming swarm, destroying dozens, "but we're just not taking out enough of them, there's just too many."

"If I could just get outside the ship," said Sora, "then I'd be able to blast them with spells."

"You can," said Sidney, "the ship has an outer dorsal hatch."

"You mean there's a hatch on the top of the ship?" Riku asked, "why didn't you tell us this?"

"You never asked," said Sidney, "now, the hatch has a platform that rises up. You can secure yourself to the platform with the available safety straps and harness."

"Let me," said Malcolm as he stood up, "this calls for some hard hitting spells, and I've got plenty of them."

"You're crazy to get out there alone," said Mirta, "I'm coming with you."

"I don't think illusions will help," said Tess.

"I'll go with him," said Sora, "I'll take good care of your brother."

"You'd better," said Mirta in a serious tone, "if anything happens to Malcolm, not only will you answer to me, but also to mom and dad, and they're the last persons you want to piss off."

"It's true," said Malcolm.

"I'll be extra careful," said Sora. With that he and Malcolm left the bridge, with The King assuming command.

"Steady as she goes, Riku," said King Mickey as he sat in the command chair, "let's not shape them up too much."

"You got it, your majesty,' said Riku.

Sora and Malcolm found the dorsal hatch and platform, with two sets of security straps and harnesses. They strapped themselves to the platform, leaving them free to stand up but save enough so they wouldn't fall off. Sora pressed button and the top hatch opened and the platform rose up, exposing them to the open air of the cavern, just as another swarm of shadow bats approached the ship.

"These things are really starting to bug me!" said Sora as he summoned his Keyblade.

"Then let's show them what we're made of!" said Malcolm as he summoned his Keyblade. He then shot a Slow spell at the creatures, reducing the speed of several of the shadow bats. They were destroyed when the bats behind them collided with the afflicted bats. Malcolm then cast a Blackout spell that blinded another group of creatures, causing them to collide with other bats and themselves. He then cast a Confuse spell that disoriented another group of bats and caused more mid-air collisions.

"You're pretty good," said Sora as he shot Fire and Thunder spells at the bats, burning and electrocuting dozens of the fell creatures.

"I told you I was well adapt in the dark arts," said Malcolm as he blinded another group of bats. "So, what do you think? Will you and your friends accept a dark magic user as one of your own?"

"It's till too soon to make any real decisions," said Sora as he froze several bats with a Blizzard spell, "but I think you're okay. It doesn't matter if you use good or dark magic, so long as your heart remains full of light, you can fight with me any day of the week."

At that Malcolm smiled, but then he frowned, "Look out!" he shouted. He then grabbed Sora and they both ducked as the smaller Red Fountain ship, piloted by Brandon and Timmy, shot no more than a yard over their heads.

"Watch where you're going, guys!" shouted Sky as he flew the fighter alongside the smaller ship, "you almost took their heads off!"

"Sorry," said Brandon, "there's so many of these damn bats, I wasn't paying attention."

"Well, pay attention from now on!" said Riven as he drove the cruiser around to destroy another swarm of bats, "I don't think Kairi will be happy if she finds out that Sora's missing his head."

"And Mirta won't be happy if you decapitate her brother," said Elise, "but that's just my opinion."

* * *

"Those meddling brats!" said Icy as she, Darcy and Stormy stood atop, or rather, at the bottom of one of the inverted towers, giving them a clear view of the aerial battle, "those fairies, heroes, traitor witches and other brats! They actually think they can win!"

"Let's prove them wrong!" said Darcy.

"Yeah!" said Stormy. With that the three dark witches cast a combined spell, projecting an indigo energy field around them. It then expanded and pused out through the entire cavern, hitting all of the ships.

* * *

Onboard all the ships it was pure pandemonium as all control was lost.

"What's happening?" Helia asked as he and Riven struggled to stop their ship from getting too close to the rock wall.

"It's dark magic!" shouted Sidney as her image began to distort, becoming fuzzy and pixilated, "it's wrecking havoc on all our systems! Attempting to compensate!" Her image was then restored, "there, we're fine."

The other ships regained control as well without taking damage, while Sky's fighter nearly crashed into a stalactite.

"Everyone alright?" Timmy asked.

"We're all okay here," said Riku, while everyone else on the bridge of The Intrepid Heart nodded.

"Nothing lost except for ten years of my life," said Sky.

"I lost fifteen," said Riven.

Just then several indigo orbs of dark magic shot towards the ships and hit them, shaking the crews up pretty badly.

"Now what?" Stella asked after everyone on the Red Fountain cruiser was knocked to the floor.

"Those attack spells are coming from the castle!" Tecna said as she and the others got up.

"It's the shadow monsters!" said Elise.

True enough, the walls of the inverted castle were lined with canine shadow monsters, all of them firing the indigo attack spells from their mouths.

"They've never been able to do that before," said Aisha, "something's powered them up.

* * *

"Oh man," sighed Stormy as she, Darcy and Icy nearly passed out from exhaustion, each of them looking like they had just finished a marathon. "that spell really took it out of us."

"It had better be worth it," said Icy as she and her sisters wearily walked back inside the castle proper, "the monsters have our power now."

"I'm so tired I could sleep a week," said Darcy.

"And how," said Stormy.

* * *

"Okay, no more mister nice guy!" said Riku as he turned _The Intrepid Heart _around to pull a strafing run at the castle, the ship's lasers blasting over a score of the canine monsters into oblivion, while the smaller Red Fountain ship destroyed another dozen.

But for every shadow monster they took off of the castle walls, another took its place and continued to barrage the attacking ships with dark spells that kept shaking the ships up, while wearing on the nerves of their crews.

"I can't take much more of this!" said Flora as she huddled on the ground with her arms around her legs for support, "I'm so afraid!"

"Fear's a logical reaction to a battle," said Tecna in a reassuring tone.

"Especially one this horrific," said Musa.

"And how many battles like this have you been in?" Morgan asked.

"Not many," said Musa, "but I agree with Flora, we can't take much more of this."

"Which is why I'm about to do something about it," said Morgan, "but I'm going to need a little help," she then looked at Elise, "if you don't mind."

"Not at all," said Elise, "I'd relish another chance to sync with your mildly disturbed mind."

"Don't we all," said Morgan. She and Elise then closed their eyes, "Contact," said Morgan.

"Check," said Elise as their minds began to harmonize.

"Morgan's going to put shield spells around all of us," said Carmen, "if we were all in one big ship, it'd be a really powerful shield, but since there's so many ships, the shields will only take the edge off."

"Anything that'll help," said Brandon.

"So long as we don't lose our heads in the meantime," said Aisha as she bent down to pick up Piff, who had been sleeping through the entire battle.

"Oh, that'd be absolutely terrible," said Stella, who's exceptionally long hair had fallen over her eyes, "no head, no more hats, let alone no hair," she then brushed her hair from her eyes and smiled, "okay, that time I was joking."

This caused her fellow Winx and Carmen to laugh, enjoying the sudden humor in such a dire situation. But then they cried out in terror as the ship shook again. But this time it was different.

"That wasn't an attack spell," said Carmen, "something solid hit us!"

They looked out the windows to see hundreds of humanoid shadow monsters alongside the canine monsters, with the humanoids tossing large rocks at the ships.

"Oh now that's just going too far!" said Sky as he strafed the castle, destroying a dozen humanoid monsters, but more took their place, only to be destroyed by _The Intrepid Heart_ as it strafed the castle, but again the destroyed monsters were soon replaced.

"If only we could cut them off at the source!" said Riku as he pulled the ship around for another strafing run.

"You find them, I'll destroy it," said Tess.

Just then Sora and Malcolm ran onto the bridge, "hey, they're throwing rocks at us!" said Malcolm, "I nearly had my head crushed!"

"Well, it was your idea to go outside," said Mirta.

"This is just great," said Helia irately, "we get to close to the castle, and we get blasted with dark magic and have rocks thrown at us."

"And if we get too far away," said Brandon, "we get attacked by more of those freaking bats! How can it get any worse?"

"It's worse," said Aisha as she and The Winx looked at their bonded pixies, whom were all looking terrified, "I think our friends here are having some pretty scary flashbacks of this place."

"No, we're fine," said Chatta as she put up a brave front, "we're alright, don't worry about us."

"I'm not scared," said Lockette to herself, but she looked like she was on the verge of a full panic attack, "I'm not scared! I'm not scared!"

"Okay, you can worry about Lockette," said Chatta.

They all then heard Sky shouting happily as he blasted another group of shadow monsters into dust.

"At least one of us is having fun," said Riven as the smaller ship did a strafing run of its own, only to have Sky zoom past them and did a barrel roll.

"Right, no fancy stuff, huh?" Riven asked.

"Oh, right," said Sky in a sheepish tone.

* * *

_…Inside Shadowhaunt…_

"We gave the monsters too much power," said Darcy as she and her fellow witches wearily walked through the corridors towards the throne room.

"I feel as weak as a kitten," said Stormy, "and it sucks!"

"Let's just go find Darkar," said an irate Icy, "and get him to recharge our magic. He owes us that much!"

"He'd better," said Darcy, while Stormy nodded in agreement.

* * *

_…Outside…_

"There's just too many monsters outside the castle for us to get close enough to land," said Timmy, "they keep popping back up as soon as we destroy them."

"We need a new plan," said Musa, "and fast. Darkar could open the dimensional portal to Realix at any moment."

"And we still have to find Bloom and Kairi!" said Aisha.

Just then Morgan and Elise opened their eyes, "Now!" they both shouted and they chanted a spell that produced four blue spheres of magic. They all shot out of the ship. One of them then fell back on the smaller Red Fountain ship and surrounded it in a protective layer of magic, while the other three did the same with the other ships.

"There," sighed Morgan as she and Elise sat down, both of them looking exhausted, "we probably won't be any good to anyone for the next few minutes, but at least now the enemy can't shake us up too much."

"You guys did great," said Sora.

Just then Roxas popped out of Sora, startling Aiden, Mirta and Malcolm.

"Do you always have to do that in front of me?!" exclaimed Aiden.

"Sorry, but there's no time to be subtle," said Roxas.

"Who are you?" Mirta asked.

"Long story," said Roxas, "let's just say that I'm kind of like the twin brother Sora never had."

"What kept you asleep for so long?" Sora asked, "I haven't heard from you in a while."

"I was tired," said Roxas, "and so was Naminé. But she's awake now, but can't leave Kairi for some reason. I haven't been able to contact either of them."

"There's something about this place that messed with our telepathy," said Riku.

"I figured as much," said Roxas, "all I've been able to sense from Naminé is that she and Kairi are right in the middle of the fortress, in the central tower, and that Kairi is in mortal danger. I can't tell exactly what's happening to her, but I've the impression that time is running out."

"Then let's not waste any more time," said Tecna. She then now spoke to Lockette, who looked like she was just two seconds away from completely freaking out, "Lockette, can you use your special power to find us a safe way inside the fortress?"

Lockette seemed to calm down a bit at this. She then looked at her fellow Pixies, whom all gave her nods of encouragement.

"I can try," said the pixy of portals. She took off her butterfly hair clip, which grew into her key staff. She held it in place in the air and it began spinning like a compass needle. Everyone watched as the key spun around and around, eventually settling to point towards one of the towers, the northwest one to be exact, "that way," said Locket as she pointed to the indicated tower, "there aren't as many monsters there. I'm sorry, but it's the best I could do."

"You did wonderfully," said Aisha.

"Yeah, you were awesome!" said Chatta.

"You showed great courage in this time of crisis," said Tune, "truly commendable, in deed."

"Okay then," said Brandon, "Sky, Riven, Sora, we'll all do a coordinated attack on that tower, destroying as many monsters as we can. We'll land on that tower and get inside."

"Wait," said Malcolm, "if you attack that tower, the enemy is going to anticipate that that's where we're going to try to get inside. They'll pour everything they've got into that tower and we'll never reach the center in time."

"He's right," said Sky, "it's too obvious."

"But it's our best chance to save our friends and stop Darkar," said Flora.

"Not our best chance," said Tess, "I've got an idea. Sidney, prepare to activate the GKX-1500!"

* * *

_…Inside Shadowhaunt…_

"All four pieces of the Codex," said Dark Bloom as she and Darkar walked into a smaller chamber where the four crystals sat in a cushion case. She picked the case up and presented it to Darkar.

"We are almost ready, my friend," said Darkar, "soon, very soon."

Just then The Trix walked in, "well, isn't this a happy sight," Stormy said sarcastically.

"Leaving so soon, Darkar?" Darcy asked as she crossed her arms.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Icy asked as she placed her hands on her hips, "like say, _us_?"

At that Darkar chuckled wickedly. "No, I haven't forgotten you. I know you want a share of The Ultimate Power that will soon be mine."

"Fair is fair, Darkar!" said Stormy irately.

"You would never have gotten The Codex without us!" said Darcy, "we did all the dirty work while you sat here in Shadowhaunt on your bony butt! We got the Codex, not you!"

"And now that you've got it, and Dark Bloom," said Icy, "it's like we don't matter any more, that you're tossing us aside like yesterday's garbage."

"Maybe it's because you are yesterdays garbage!" said Dark Bloom.

"What!?" exclaimed Icy in an outraged tone, while Darcy and stormy also looked outraged, "how dare you say that to us! You may be a demon, but we're the most powerful witches alive!" She then glared at Darkar, "we're more than just cogs in your machine! I think we deserve a little more respect than that."

"Is that what you think?" Darkar asked.

"It is," said Icy, while Stormy and Darcy nodded in agreement.

At that Darkar's eyes flashed menacingly, "you thought wrong!" he shouted as he sent a pulse of dark magic at Icy, knocking her to the ground. "You are less than cogs in the machine! You are less than garbage! You mean nothing to me now!"

"You know," said a very nervous Stormy to Darcy as Icy struggled to stand up, "I'm starting to think that we were better off back at Lightrock."

"When I have to agree with something like that," said Darcy, "then I know we're in trouble."

"Don't waste your energies on these bags of filth," said Dark Bloom, "I can easily rip their souls out and cast them into hell, give them a taste of eternal torment and pain."

"A fitting end for them," said Darkar, "but they need to know just how little their value is," he then cast another spell, "into the void with you witches, where you shall spend eternity is absolute oblivion!"

A red vortex opened up behind The Trix that sucked them in, the three witches screaming in terror as they vanished from the material realms.

"Oh, I wanted to rip their souls out," pouted Dark Bloom, "and feed their bodies to the hell hounds, they really don't get that much exercise, cooped up in hell."

"Once the Ultimate Power is achieved," said Darkar, "you can torment any soul you wish. Now, there is just one more thing to do."

"Ready when you are," said Dark Bloom as she smiled wickedly.

* * *

_…Outside…_

"We just heard from Armentia," said Brandon, "she and the trogs are holding on, but they won't last for much longer."

"We've got to get down there and help them," said Aisha.

"No," said Sky, "they're doing their part so we can do our part."

"Which brings us to my plan," said Tess, "we aim the GKX-1500 at a different part of the castle, one that's choking with monsters. Then we fire the cannon, hopefully destroying a lot of monsters, then we fly towards where we blasted the castle. The enemy will think that we're going to land there, so they'll pour their forces into that part of the castle, but just when we're about to land, we head towards the tower Lockette pointed at. We land and run in before enemy reinforcements arrive."

"Sounds like a winning plan to me!" said Sky as he pulled the fighter into another strafing run at the castle. But then he cried out in sharp pain and surprise.

"What happened?" Brandon asked. Everyone then saw on their view screens that one of the humanoid shadow monsters had jumped onto the fighter and was trying to punch its way into the cockpit

"I picked up an unwelcome guest!" said Sky as he tried to shake the monster off of him, but it kept punching the cockpit, now hard enough to destabilize the flight systems and making the fighter shake erratically, "I'm losing control!"

"He's going to crash at this rate!" said Timmy.

* * *

_…Inside Shadowhaunt…_

"Just one final task remains before opening the portal," said Darkar, "come to me, Kerbog!"

His pet bat-thing flew over and latched itself onto his outstretched arm, "ah, faithful Kerbog, you've served me oh so well, but now I have a different task for you," he looked at Dark Bloom, "consider it an insurance policy in case our enemies do make it inside the citadel."

Darkar then cast a dark magic spell on the bat creature, causing it to mutate into a more horrific monster.

"Yes, that's it!" said Darkar, "grow, my little one, grow!"

* * *

_…Outside…_

"I'm done for if I don't get rid of this hitchhiker!" shouted Sky as he tried to throw the monster off of the fighter. But then he flew too close to a stalactite and bumped into it, damaging the engine enough to cause smoke to pour out of it and forcing the creature off at last.

"Okay, one problem solved," said Sky.

"But you've got another problem, Sky!" said Timmy, "according to the scanner data, you're on fire and will explode soon."

"You're kidding," said Sky.

"No, I'm not," said Timmy.

"There's got to be something we can do to help him!" said Aisha.

"We're too far away to get to him in time," said Timmy, "and so is _The Intrepid Heart._ It's up to Riven and Helia now."

By now the fighter had lost all control and was heading straight towards another stalactite, "well, Bloom," said Sky in a defeated tone, "looks like I won't be able to rescue you and Kairi after all. I'm sorry."

"Don't give up just yet, Sky!" said Riven as the cruiser flew above the crashing fighter.

"Boy, am I glad to hear from you guys," said Sky.

"We're opening the hangar bay," said Helia, "think you can handle an emergency landing?"

"Piece of cake," said Sky as he confidently smiled.

Everyone on the smaller Red Fountain Ship and _The Intrepid Heart _watched tensely as the hanger doors on the cruiser opened up. Sky did his best to keep the fighter steady but he barely had any horizontal control and couldn't maintain a level approach.

"This isn't working!" said Riven, "that showoff Sky isn't going to make it."

"Don't worry," said Helia, "I'll reel him in!"

* * *

_…Inside Shadowhaunt…_

"Are we ready now?" Dark Bloom asked as she and Darkar arrived in a small, chapel-like room in the fortress, "Or is there something else you need to do? It's not like I've got better things to do, other than get The Ultimate Power and plunge The Magical Dimension into darkness."

"All is finally ready," said Darkar, "this is where we shall open the portal to Realix, "place the box on the altar and stand back!"

"About time," muttered Dark Bloom as she placed the box containing the four Codex pieces on the stone altar and stood with Darkar a pace back. The four crystals glowed bright blue and hovered in the air.

* * *

_…Outside…_

"What's he doing?" Aiden asked as everyone on _The Intrepid Heart _and the smaller Red Fountain ship saw Helia standing at the open hanger door. Helia then thrust his right arm out and from his gloves shot a yellow wire made of magic. The wire wrapped itself around the damaged fighter.

"I get it," said an amazed Riku, "he's holding Sky steady and is going to help pull the fighter into the hanger."

"It'll never work," said Elsie, "that fighter's too heavy."

"Just give him a chance," said Aisha, "he can do it."

"I hope so!" said Flora.

Everyone watched as Helia took a few steps back, keeping the fighter steady as it inched its way into the hanger. But then a swarm of shadow bats flew by, knocking the fighter down and back a bit, while pulling Helia off his feet. He slammed into the hanger floor and was almost pulled out of the ship.

"Oh my stars!" exclaimed a horrified Flora.

"I can't watch!" said Chatta as she and the other bonded pixies covered their eyes.

"No, he's doing it!" said Carmen. They all saw Helia get back up and began using all of his strength to pull the fighter in.

* * *

_…Inside Shadowhaunt…_

"Okay, now what?" Dark Bloom asked.

The four crystals then flew together and interlocked into a four-sided polygon that pulsed with bluish-white energy. "At last, the Codex is complete!" said Darkar.

The crystalline polygon began rotating in the air and creating a massive force of wind as its glow got brighter. "The dimensional passage is opening!" said Darkar.

* * *

_…Outside…_

To everyone's amazement, Helia jumped back and pulled the fighter all the way inside the hangar. Sky did an emergency shutdown on the fighter as the hangar doors closed and he got out, causing everyone to cheer happily.

Just then Brandon received a message from Armetntai, "she and the Trogs are pulling out. She says that she and her army have given us all the cover and support we need and are going home."

Everyone saw on the scanner displays that the Trog warriors were running away from the battle, while Armentia was retreating more gracefully, but the mad monarch looked like she was rather annoyed with her army.

"Okay then," said Sora, "we'll shoot the GKX-1500 at the castle where it's swarming with monsters."

"That would be the bottom of the main tower," said Timmy, "but even if we do that, the northwest tower is still pretty heavy territory."

"He's right," said Brandon, "there's still a lot of monsters there. We need a plan to take them out or we'll never be able to land safely."

"Maybe we can help," said Musa.

"That's right," said Stella in a confident tone as she stood up, "we've been sitting on the sidelines way too long!"

"Sounds good," said Timmy, "we'll provide covering fire while you're working your magic."

"What about the rest of you?" Tecna asked.

"That's where Riven and Brandon will come in," said Timmy, "they'll blast the main doors on that tower wide open."

At that Tecna smiled with admiration at Timmy's sense of control in this dire situation.

"Then let's not waste any more time!" said Sora, "Sidney!"

"Activating the GKX-1500!" said Sidney.

A display screen showed a digital representation of the rail gun, while the real cannon emerged from a panel on the hull of the ship.

"Identifying target!" said Sidney. The tactical display showed the bottom of the main tower right in the middle of a crosshairs.

"Charging," said Sidney as the rail gun powered up, "70%…80%…90%…GKX-1500 at 100% power!"

"Wait," said Aiden, "are we really going to call it that? I mean, it's not a very cool name."

At that Sora, Riku, Tess, Mirta, Malcolm, Sidney, The King, Donald and Goofy looked at Aiden as if he was nuts or something.

"Why are we having this conversation now?" Tess asked.

"I'm just saying that if we're going to have a super weapon," said Aiden, "it should sound cool."

"I don't believe this," said Malcolm, "the fate of the universe is at stake and you want to name a weapon? Are you insane?"

"Probably," said Aiden.

"You know what?" Riku asked in an exasperated tone, "you want to name the weapon, fine, let's name it. How about 'Hyper Cannon,' or 'Magnum Hammer' or 'Exceed Charge.'"

"Hang on, that's it," said Sora, "Magnum Hammer, I like it."

"It does sound right," said Tess, "right and awesome."

"Then let's make it official," said Aiden, "fire The Magnum Hammer!"

"Firing!" said Sidney.

The rail gun, The Magnum Hammer, shot a ball bearing charged with energy at the tower at 2.4 kilometers per second. The metal ball slammed into the tower and exploded, destroying 50 feet of the tower and shaking up the rest of the fortress.

"Direct hit!" said Sidney.

* * *

_…Inside Shadowhaunt…_

"What was that?" Dark Bloom asked as she and Darkar felt the entire fortress shake violently.

Just then the false Avalon ran into the room, "My lord Darkar!" said the Doppelganger as he franticly knelt, "the enemy has destroyed the top of the main tower! They're heading for it right now!"

"Then do something about it, you fool!" snapped Dakrar, "send everything we have into the main tower! Slaughter them before they gain a foothold in my citadel!"

"Yes, master!" said the fake Avalon as he ran out of the room.

* * *

_…Outside…_

"It's working!" said Elise, "the monsters are crawling all over the main tower!"

"They really thing that's where we're going to storm the castle," said Tess.

"Then let's prove them wrong!" said Sky as he took off in the other fighter.

Riven and Helia then brought the cruiser around to strafe the northwest tower, destroying the main doors to the inside and taking out several shadow monsters. "The door's open!" said Riven.

"Then let's roll out the carpet for us," said Stella, "ready, girls!" At that her fellow Winx and the good witches shouted in acknowledgement.

"Let's show The Trix that nothing they've got can stop us!" said Musa.

With that the five fairies transformed. They then flew out the rear hatch of the ship, with them all activating their Charmix.

Aisha then created and threw four spheres of her Morphix, which merged into an enormous sphere of light that Stella summoned, making the light sphere bigger and brighter. The five fairies then joined hands in a circle and performed a Convergence spell that disabled the power-boosting spell on the shadow monsters, returning them to their normal strength, while most of them were left with barely enough strength to stand up.

Sky then zapped several monsters off of the balcony outside the blasted doors, giving the Winx enough free space to land on there.

"They're down and safe!" said Sky as he blasted more monsters off of the tower.

"Now it's our turn!" said Carmen. With that she, Morgan and Else took flight, flew out of the ship and landed on the balcony alongside The Winx.

"We're up next," said Sora. With that he, Riku, Aiden, Tess, Roxas, Mirta and Malcolm hurried to the transporter room and were soon beamed onto the balcony.

* * *

_…the rebuilt Red Fountain…_

"By now our friends have infiltrated the enemy fortress," said Queen Minnie as she and Faragonda stood in the headmaster's office.

"And everything is ready on our part," said Faragonda.

"If you don't mind, Faragonda," said Saladin, "but Cordatorta would be a great addition to this expedition, and he wouldn't appreciate being left behind."

"I understand," said Faragonda, "we're going to need all the help we can get if this is going to work. I just hope we can catch up with the others before it's too late."

* * *

_…Shadowhaunt…exterior..._

The smaller ship had docked with the cruiser, which had parked next to the balcony, while the fighter landed beside it. The specialists, sans Timmy, were talking with The Winx, good witches and Keyblade Wielders, along with The King, Donald and Goofy.

"So far so good," said Brandon, "now once you're all inside, we'll make sure none of the remaining shadow creatures come after you."

"But you've been fighting all day," said Stella, "even with all those restoring items Sora and the others brought…"

"We can still keep going," said Brandon, while Riven and Helia both took a swig from Hi Potions, "Don't worry about us."

"They're doing their part so we can do our part," said Riku.

"Saving our friends and shutting Darkar down for good," said Carmen.

At that Stella walked up to Brandon and they clasped hands together, "oh, Brandon, just promise me that you'll be careful."

"I will," said Brandon, "you know how much I love you, my golden girl, I'd fight through a million shadow monsters for you."

"I love you, my brave, bold hero," said Stella.

"I'll always be there for you," said Brandon.

At the same time, Helia walked up to Flora, "so, this is it," said Helia.

"Yeah, it is," said Flora, "I'm sorry I didn't have the courage to tell you how I felt earlier." But then Helia pulled Flora into a deep kiss, causing her eyes to widen in surprise, then in pleasure as she blushed heavily.

Tecna was gazing up at the bridge of the cruiser, where Timmy was gazing fondly back at her.

"I guess you're above all that mushy, lovey dovey stuff, huh, Riven?" Musa asked stubbornly, "you don't need anybody, right?"

Riven, who had stubbornly crossed his arms, was keeping quiet. Musa seemed to have had enough of this and turned away, but then Riven grabbed her arm and pulled her into a hug, "do me a favor," he said, "I just want to hear say that you'll come back; you'll come back to me."

Musa, who looked like she was about to start crying, nodded.

"Good luck, little brother," said Mirta.

"Good luck, big sister," said Malcolm as they shook hands, then hugged.

"We've been through a lot together," said Sora to Aiden, Riku and Tess, "and we're going to go through a lot more. Whatever happens, I just want to say, thanks, guys, for everything."

"Likewise," said Riku, while Tess and Aiden nodded in agreement.

It was a tender moment as loved ones, friends and family enjoyed one last moment of togetherness before the final battle. The only one not enjoying this spark of happiness was Sky, who was angrily clenching his fists.

Aisha walked up to him, "Don't worry about Bloom, Sky," she said, "we will bring her back, I promise."

"Can we get a move on?" Carmen asked, "in case you all have forgotten, we do have a deadline, you know, the whole saving the universe from eternal darkness and all."

"I agree," said Aiden as he pressed his wrists, "alright, let's do this!"

"Why do you do that?" Morgan asked.

"It gives me confidence," said Aiden. With that The Winx, bonded Pixies, good witches and Keyblade Wielders rushed into the tower, with The Specialists, Donald, Goofy and King Mickey keeping guard outside, facing down any shadow monster that tried to get inside.

* * *

_...Inside Shadowhaunt..._

By now the crystalline polygon was generating a massive red vortex of magic.

"Excellent," said Darkar, "the passage is open! Once we're through, it will be utterly impossible for anyone to follow us!" he looked at Dark Bloom, "even if all of those meddling brats get this far inside my domain, they'll never defeat my guardian."

He was referring to Kerbog, which had mutated into a 12ft tall humanoid berserker covered in armor and carrying a large axe.

"Shall we?" Darkar asked.

"Let's get this show on the road," said Dark Bloom. With that they walked through the vortex, which vanished after them.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the right way, Lockette?" Stella asked as the fairies, pixies, good witches and Keyblade Wielders found themselves disoriented by the dark atmosphere of the castle corridors.

Lockette, who was having flashbacks of her earlier imprisonment, was squealing in terror.

"Get a grip, Lockette!" said Chatta, "pull yourself together! We need you, or Bloom's done for!"

This caused Lockette to regain her courage somewhat, "yes," she said in a shaky voice, "we go straight ahead," she pointed down the corridor.

They cautiously proceeded down the passageway, ever alert for the slightest hint of enemy movement.

"It's quiet," said Riku in a hushed tone, "too quiet for my taste."

"Enjoy the silence while you can," said Morgan, "I'm just glad that we don't have to fight anything right now."

"I'm just glad that our Charmix are working," said Aisha, "without them we wouldn't have any magic right now."

"Save your energies for The Trix and Darkar," said Carmen, "they're the real enemy."

"Hey, wait," said Stella as she paused, "did any of you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Sora asked.

They all then heard a low, menacing growl that seemed to come from the walls themselves.

"That," said Stella nervously.

From out of nowhere came a large axe that slammed into the wall and nearly too Stella's head off.

The wall on the other side of the corridor cracked and collapsed, revealing Kerbog in all of his horrific glory. Now gray-skinned and covered in spiked armor, it wore a dark brown hood over its head and had glowing red eyes.

The Pixies all screamed in terror and hid behind their bonded fairies, with Lockette joining Amore behind Stella.

"That is one ugly mother fraker!" said Malcolm as he, Sora, Riku, Tess, Aiden and Roxas all summoned their Keyblades.

"Careful!" shouted Tecna as she scanned Kerbog, while the mutated creature pulled its axe out of the wall, "I can't get a good reading on its power!"

Kerbog growled in fury and raised its axe.

"Let's take this thing down!" said Stella as she and Aisha rushed at the berserker. Stella shot a sphere of light at the creature, who deflected it back at them and knocking them both off balance and blinding them Aisha, forcing her to the floor.

Flora then cast a spell that summoned vines out of the floor to ensnare Kerbog, but the mutated berserker sliced the vines up with his axe. Musa then sent a sonic pulse through the floor, creating a mini earthquake, but the creature endured it as if it were nothing.

Kerbog then slammed his axe into the floor and created a shockwave that blasted the five fairies against the wall.

"You guys alright?" Sora asked.

"Just peachy," said Stella.

"I hope you don't mind if we cut in, do you?" Elise asked. She then sent a massive bolt of yellow lightning at Kerbog, who deflected it with its axe back at her. Elise avoided being fried by her own spell by an inch.

"That kind of attack won't work!" said Carmen. She then tried to crush Kerbog with a gravity spell, but the creature endured the massive force bearing down on it.

"It looks like we're going to have to go toe-to-toe with this thing!" said Sora.

"Up close and personal," said Tess, "just the way I like it!" she then went invisible, while Sora, Riku and Aiden attacked it headlong. Kerbog forced them back with one swing of the axe, then swing the axe behind. Tess, who had been trying to sneak behind Kerbog, was nearly cut in half and was forced to jump away.

"How about this?" Mirta asked. She then created the illusion of another Kerbog right in front of the first one. Instead of confusing the berserker, Kerbog swung its axe through the illusion, vanishing it, then stomped towards Mirta.

Malcolm got in front of it and tried to attack, casting a Blackout spell, but the creature shrugged the blinding spell off and swung the axe at Malcolm, forcing both him and Mirta back. Kerbog then stomped towards The Winx.

The bonded pixies were hovering with their fairies, not willing to leave their sides. But then Chatta landed on the floor and boldly stood up to the approaching berserker.

"Chatta! No!" shouted Flora.

"Keep back, you big, ugly bully!" shouted Chatta, "Not one more step, or else!" Kerbog brought his axe down, narrowly missing Chatta as she zoomed over to Flora. This was the distraction The Winx needed to get back up and run away, while the good witches and Keyblade Wielders ran with them.

"We'll find another way to beat that thing,' said Musa as Kerbog chased after them, "somehow!"

"But our magic isn't working against it!" said Stella, "none of our attacks are working!"

"It has the same power as that monster that attacked Red Fountain a while back," said Tecna as she finished scanning the creature.

"But this one is way stronger," said Aisha, who's eyes were much better now,

The berserker had by now forced the Winx into a corner and was about to swing its axe at them, when there was a sudden teleportation flash and there was Faragonda, Griffin and Corditorta, as well as the four Guardian Pixies, with Griffin casting a capture spell on Kerbog that knocked it to the ground and encasing it in a force field.

"Headmistress!" shouted Carmen, Morgan, Elise and Mirta.

"Faragonda!" said the Winx.

"Thank goodness for the teachers," said Musa.

"I'd never thought I'd hear you say that," remarked Stella.

"Well, we made it in time to help you all," said Faragonda, "but you must get to Bloom before she and Darkar can get to Realix. The Guardian Pixies shall accompany you.

Just then Kerbog got up and was slamming its fists against the force field.

"Oh, that big ugly brute?" Corditorta asked, "don't worry about it, we'll handle it."

But then Kerbog burst out of the force field, knocking the teachers to the ground. It picked up its axe and stomped towards them, ready for the kill.

* * *

_…Somewhere Else…_

"Well, this sucks," said Stormy as she, Icy and Darcy floated in an orange limbo, "this sucks more than anything else that has ever sucked before."

"How could Darkar do that to us?" Darcy asked, "after all that we did for him, he just tosses us into this hell hole like garbage! Well, we'll show him! As soon as we get our strength back, we'll bust out of this void and kill Darkar! Him and that she-demon in Bloom, and we'll kill Bloom for good measure, and take The Dragonfire if we can."

"There's still the fact that we're stuck here with no way out!" said Stormy, "this is it, we're going to spend the rest of our lives surrounded by nothing!"

"No, we're not," said Icy with grim determination, "this isn't the end for us, sisters. We will escape from this void and return to the living realms. We will make Darkar pay for this, and we will, once we have become one."

At that Darcy and Stormy looked as if someone had walked over their graves, "you don't mean _that _spell, do you?" Darcy asked cautiously.

"Yes, _that _spell," said Icy.

"We can't use _that _spell!" exclaimed Stormy, "the last time we tried it, it nearly killed us!"

"We were only freshmen at the time," said Icy, "not as experienced in the dark arts, and with far less stamina. Trust me on this, sisters, once we've gotten our strength back, we'll be able to use the spell successfully, and we'll use it to get our revenge on all those who crossed us!"

**The end of chapter 8.**

Next chapter finds our heroes battling their way through the dark fortress. Will they be able to stop Darkar and Dark Bloom in time? Or will all their efforts be in vain? Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	9. Chapter 9: Rumble in Realix

Last time had our heroes invading Shadowhaunt to rescue Bloom and Kairi and stop Darkar. Yet they were too late to prevent Bloom from being possessed by the demon from earlier, turning her into Dark Bloom. Our heroes were further delayed by the seemingly endless hordes of Shadow Monsters they had to fight. At the same time, Darkar kicked Xehanort and Sephiroth out, but not before watching as Kairi was put into a death trap that would kill her within an hour. Later on, Darkar betrayed The Trix and banished them into limbo, where the insidious witches vowed revenge.

Eventually, our heroes broke into the inverted fortress, where they encountered one of Darkar's minions, whom had been mutated into a berserker and thrusting our heroes into yet another sticky situation. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 9: Rumble in Realix**

Just then Kerbog got up and was slamming its fists against the force field.

"Oh, that big ugly brute?" Corditorta asked, "don't worry about it, we'll handle it."

But then Kerbog burst out of the force field, knocking the teachers to the ground. It picked up its axe and stomped towards them, ready for the kill.

Faragonda, Griffin and Corditorta managed to get back up in time to face the oncoming berserker. "Are you two ladies alright?" the weapons master of Red Fountain asked.

"Nothing wounded but my pride," said the headmistress of Cloud Tower.

"Forget about us, Winx!" said Faragonda, "you must hurry! Every moment you delay brings Darkar that much closer to his final victory!"

"We'll hold this abomination at bay," said Griffin, "go!"

"But…" said Aisha.

"There's no time for that!" said Ninfia, "we have to get going now or it will be too late!"

"Then let's get going already!" said Sora.

"Wait, I'll say with the teachers," said Aiden as he glared at the approaching berserker, "this thing pisses me off bad for some reason. Don't argue with me, Sora, I'm doing this, believe it!"

"Let's go!" said Carmen. With that the Winx, their bonded pixies, the good witches and Sora, Riku, Tess, Malcolm and Roxas, ran down the hallway.

Sora paused for a second, "thanks, Aiden!" he shouted back before catching up with the others.

"Young man," said Griffin to Aiden, "you're either incredibly brave or incredibly foolish."

"You could say I'm a bit of both," Aiden remarked, "now let's cut this behemoth down to size!"

* * *

_…Outside…_

"It's safe to say that I hate these things!" said Brandon as he and the Specialists fended off the increasing numbers of shadow monsters.

"You and me both, man!" said Riven as he sliced a canine monster in half, while Brandon decapitated a humanoid monster.

"These monsters are just wasting our time!" said Helia as he was forced to back away from a humanoid. He then fell off a ledge and landed hard on a larger ledge below. The creature was about to jump down and maul him to death, when Helia shot his wire gauntlets at the monster, catching it and electrocuting it with a built-in shock spell. He rolled out of the way to avoid the creature falling on him.

But then two more canine monsters and a humanoid were about to attack him from behind, when Donald blasted the two canines with Fire spells, then Goofy smashed the humanoid with his shield, while Queen Minnie was blasting another humanoid with her light spells.

"Pay attention!" snapped Donald as he zapped another pair of canines with a Thunder spell.

"I thought I was," said Helia as he used his wire gauntlets to snare another humanoid, which Goofy smashed with his shield.

Just then The King jumped through the area, destroying monsters left and right with his golden Keyblade, "they ain't so tough!" he said, "there's just a lot of them!"

"You're both right," said Sky as he pulled the remaining fighter through another strafing run, "these things aren't a threat. We're just doing moping up duty out here. Let's head inside!" At that everyone else shouted in agreement.

"Wait a second," said The King. He then looked at Donald and Goofy, "fellas, you know what to do."

"Right," said both Donald and Goofy. They then both grabbed The Queen by her arms.

"What? What are you doing?!" exclaimed Queen Minnie as she struggled against Donald and Goofy but the two of them weren't letting go. "Donald! Goofy! Unhand me this instant!"

"Sorry, your majesty," said Donald, "but this is an order straight from The King."

"We're supposed to stay and guards the ships," said Goofy, "and guard you too."

"Are you serious?" Queen Minnie asked in an outraged tone. She then looked at the King, "Mickey! What's gotten into you?"

"I'm sorry, Minnie," said The King, "but this is one adventure you're going to have to sit out. I can't focus on helping Sora and the others and worry about you as well."

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself in a crisis!" exclaimed Queen Minnie. She then glared at Donald and Goofy, "Let me go! I'm ordering you to release me this instant!"

"Sorry, your majesty," said Goofy, "but The King's orders are bigger than your orders."

"We'll keep her safe, your majesty," said Donald to The King, "don't you worry!"

"Thanks, guys," said King Mickey. He then looked at The Queen, "I'm sorry, Minnie, gosh, I really am, but this is how it's supposed to be," he then looked at Sky and the other Specialists, "let's go!"

"Having your own subordinates restraining your own wife," said Riven as they all ran inside, "I don't envy you."

"Marriage isn't always a sunshine and rainbows," said King Mickey, "it's worth it nearly all the time," he then looked really downcast, "but boy, am I in the doghouse now. Seriously, I'm gonna have to move in with Pluto until she calms down."

"I don't think that's going to happen any time soon," said Brandon.

"I won't forget this, Mickey Mouse!" shouted Queen Minnie, "maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday I'll make you regret this!"

"He's already inside," said Goofy.

"We're really sorry, your majesty," said Donald as he and Goofy released The Queen's arms, but stood nearby to grab her again in case she decided to make a run for it inside, "we really are, but orders are orders."

At that The Queen irately crossed her arms, "rats!" she exclaimed.

* * *

**…Somewhere Else…**

"This is Realix?" Dark Bloom asked. She and Darkar had found themselves in a great expanse of nearly nothing. The skies were raining from dark burgundy to light, while here and there were floating rocks and building debris. They were currently on what appeared to be the ruins of a temple of sorts that had broken archways and raised altar with steps in the middle.

"This is a world between worlds," said Darkar, "scattered throughout this endless plane of existence is the leftovers and rubble of various worlds that rose and fell. This is a realm of many secrets, but we are here to steal the greatest of them all. Now come, all is set to being the ritual."

"The one that will unlock The Ultimate Power," said Dark Bloom, "I can hardly wait!" at that she started laughing wickedly, while Darkar did the same.

* * *

**…Shadowhaunt…**

"We're getting closer!" said Roxas as the rescue team hurried through the corridors, "I can feel both Kairi and Naminé."

"Me too!" said Sora, while Riku and Tess nodded in agreement.

"Will I develop telepathy?" Malcolm asked.

"I really don't know," said Sora.

"Some witches in our family have telepathy," said Mirta, "but it's a random power that skips generations."

Just then they were all forced to stop as a group of humanoid monsters appeared ahead of them. "Oh man! We've got company!" said Stella, "and ugly ones at that. No matter how often I see these things, they never get any easier to look at!"

"Let's finish them off quickly with a Charmix spell!" said Musa, but then Tecna stopped her, restraining Musa's hand that was ready to work her magic.

"What's wrong, Tecna?" Flora asked.

"We've got to conserve our magic," said Tecna, "if we keep using our Charmix, we'll be out of power before we even get close to Darkar."

"You're right," said Musa, "we can only use our Charmix for so long. But what do we do now?"

With grim determination, Tecna stepped forward, "I'm going to stay behind and deal with these cretins! Everyone else, go on ahead!"

"You're not staying alone!" said Elise as she stood next to Tecna, while the monsters rapidly approached, "us geniuses need to stick together!"

"Brains over brawns!" said Tecna in agreement, "it's the logical thing to do!"

"If you're staying, then so am I," said Riku as he brandished his Keyblade at the monsters, "the mind is important, but so is the body!"

"And heart," Sora reminded him.

"I know," said Riku.

"You guys be careful, okay?" Chatta asked.

"And try not to do anything stupid," said Tess.

"Like getting yourselves killed," said Carmen.

"As if," said Riku.

"We'll meet up with the Specialists and catch up withy you all later!" said Tecna, while Digit flew over to her.

"I've got your back on this, Tecna!" said the pixy of technology.

"Okay, good luck, all of you!" said Stella, then she and the others ran on.

"Okay then," said Else as the monsters closed in, "a dozen of them, only five of us."

"I've faced worse odds," said Riku, "and Sora, he took down a thousand Heartless all by himself."

"Oh, you'll have to tell me about that sometime!" said an eager Digit.

"Later," said Tecna, "right now we have monsters to delete!" with that she powered up her Charmix. She then cast a spell that sent a wave of green digital energy at the monsters that erased six of them from existence.

"Prodigious!" said Elise, "but I've got one better!" she then summoned a small iron disk and threw it at the remaining monsters. She then chanted a spell that shot a slow-moving blue and white ball of electromagnetic energy at the monsters. The spell split into several smaller balls that hit the creatures and magnetized them, forcing them onto the iron disk and left them unable to move, allowing Riku to move in and finish them off with his Keyblade.

"Yes!" said Tecna triumphantly, "superior thinking defeats superior numbers!"

Just then more shadow monsters arrived, ready for a fight. "You were saying?" Elise asked in an ironic tone.

* * *

**…The Void…**

"Alright, sisters," said Icy, "I think we've had enough of this place of nothingness."

"You said it," remarked Darcy, "let's use the spell and merge into one super witch!"

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" Stormy asked, "if it doesn't work…"

"Then we'll be no worse off if we didn't do anything," said Icy, "now let's merge! Let us become The Mega Trix!" with that the three dark witches powered up and were immersed in their magical auras, Icy's being ice blue, Darcy's being dark purple and Stormy's being light purple.

The three auras fused into one and from it emerged a giant female figure that had shadowy skin, long twin pony tails and glowing indigo eyes. Glowing Gloomix-like items adorned her neck, forearms, waist and calves.

"Get ready, Darkar," said The Mega Trix, her voice a mix of all three witches speaking as one, baring a set of large fangs, "we're coming for you!"

* * *

**…Realix…**

"You remember the spell I gave you for the ritual?" Darkar asked.

"Yeah, I remember," said Dark Bloom in a slightly annoyed tone as she stood atop the altar.

"Then do it!" said Darkar, "begin The Chant of Power!"

Dark Bloom raised her arms and a dark purple aura surrounded her body as she began chanting in an ancient language.

"That's it!" said Darkar, "keep going!"

* * *

**…Shadowhaunt…**

The rescue team found itself a short distance from a large set of doors that were guarded by a dozen creatures that were of two different types of shadow monsters. The first six were of a species that was a purple quadruped with a large, elongated neck that ended in a head that was all fangs. The remainder were of a species that was another quadruped that was large, had gray skin and was covered in an armored hided that had spikes jutting out.

"I'll say this about Darkar," said Morgan, "he's an equal opportunist when it comes to monsters."

"Do we have to fight those things?" a nervous Tune asked.

"We have to," said Lockette in a trembling voice as she clung to Chatta, "Bloom is beyond those doors somewhere."

"More monsters," said an annoyed Stella, "this is getting old really fast!"

"So, how do you all want to do this?" Sora asked.

"I'll stay behind to slow them down," said Musa.

"I'll say with you," said Flora.

"No, I'll stay with Musa," said Aisha.

"But you're the only one of us who's actually faced Darkar," said Flora, "you know what to expect."

"And Stella's power is the most effective against the shadow creatures," said Musa, "you two keep going and get to Bloom. It only makes sense."

"Well, if you two are staying," said Morgan, "then so am I."

"Count me in as well," said Tess. She then looked at Sora and Roxas, "save Bloom and Kairi."

"Will do!" said both Sora and Roxas.

"Just be safe, all of you," said Stella to Musa, Flora, Morgan and Tess.

"And don't die," said Carmen.

"Never happen!" Morgan said confidently.

"Chatta," said Flora, "you go with the others, and take care of Lockette."

"But I don't want to leave you!" cried Chatta as she clutched to Lockette, tears falling from the eyes of the Pixy of Cheers.

"We won't get anything done if we all stay here!" said Tess.

"Come on!" said Stella, "let's get going!" with that the rest of the rescue team ran ahead, leaving Musa, Flora, Morgan and Tess to face the monsters.

Tune had elected to stay behind of her own accord, "ladies," said the pixy of manners, "shall we give our friends some cover?"

"These guys are toast!" said Musa.

"With peach jam on it!" said Tess as she readied her Keyblade.

"I prefer strawberries and sardines on my toast!" said Morgan as she cracked her knuckles.

"You're one sick witch, you know that?" Tess asked.

"So I've been told," said a smiling Morgan.

"Let's just finish this quickly!" said Flora. With that the two fairies summoned their Charmix.

Flora and Musa then took flight and threw their spells at the creatures. Three of the purple monsters were crushed by summoned vines, while three of the gray, spiked monsters were vaporized by intense sound waves. Morgan then put a protective energy shield around Tess, who then rushed in and destroyed the remaining monsters with her Keyblade.

"Easy as blueberry and garlic pie," said Morgan.

"Sick," said a disgusted Tess, "just plain sick."

"Garlic is an absolute good," said Morgan, "it repels most species of vampires and is very good for the body. I like it on a lot of stuff. I just discovered a very good sandwich. You take two pieces of pumpernickel bread, smear one piece with peanut butter, the other with cream cheese and then you squeeze the juice out of a piece of garlic, letting a few drops to fall onto the cream cheese. You put the bread together and eat it. Trust me, it's delicious."

"You can make us all vomit later," said Tecna, "I'm worried about all the others. You think they'll be able to catch up with us soon?"

"How can they not with all the racket you're making?" Tune asked.

"Well," said Flora as she smiled shyly, "I have gotten very good at passing messages to Helia, so he and the others are sure to find us."

* * *

Aisha, Stella, the pixies, Sora, Roxas, Carmen, Mirta and Malcolm, approached Darkar's throne room, "Kairi's in there!" said Sora, "I can feel her!"

"Wait!" said Roxas, "I can hear Naminé!"

_:Sora!: _shouted Naminé via telepathy, _:Don't come any closer! Kairi's stuck in a death trap that's got a time limit on it! I don't know how much time is left, but it can't be any more than a few minutes! And if you try to get the trap off of Kairi or even get too close, it'll go off then and kill her!:_

_:What do we do?:_ Roxas asked.

"I'll tell you what we do," said Sora, his voice firm and steady with determination, "we save Kairi, that's what we'll do!" with that he walked into the throne room and saw Kairi, chained to the pillar with the reverse bear trap on her head.

Sora calmly aimed his Keyblade at the metal device on Kairi's head and shot a beam of magic at it. Something clicked on the device and the lock holding it in Kairi's mouth was released. She spat the foul device out and it clattered to the floor. Two seconds later the timer ran out with a louder click and the trap sprang open with enough force to rip Kairi's jaw out had it remained attached to her head.

"It's okay, Kairi!" said Sora as he and Aiden cut the chains holding Kairi to the pillar, "you're safe now." Kairi looked at Sora with tearful, grateful eyes and hugged him tightly.

But then Naminé popped out of Kairi, "she can't speak," said Naminé, "that demon controlling Bloom stole her voice," she then saw the vial containing Kairi's voice on the stone table, "there!" she ran over, grabbed the vial and smashed it. The white energy rose into the air with the sound of singing and shot back into Kairi's throat.

"Oh thank goodness!" said Kairi. She then looked at Sora and the others, "thank you, all of you, but I'm afraid you're all too late. Darkar put the demon back into Bloom and it took her over." At that Stella and Aisha looked very shocked.

"Ozezil?" Carmen asked, "impossible! We sent that thing back to hell!"

"Darkar got it out," said Kairi, "Ozezil's in complete control of Bloom's body and her powers, and boy is the demon enjoying it. Seriously, that thing is a sadistic psychopath."

"A lot of demons are like that," said Carmen, "I'm sure you did your best, Kairi, but given that your powers were sapped, there wasn't much you could have done."

"But you'll do a lot more," said Sora as he pulled out the potion vial and handed it to Kairi, "The Winx and Griselda made this so we can fight with all our power in Shadowhaunt."

"Drink it and you'll get your mojo back," said Roxas.

"Cheers," said Kairi as she uncorked the vial and downed the potion.

"Um, excuse me, but who are you?" Stella asked Naminé.

"You could say I'm Kairi's other half," said Naminé.

"And a very dear friend," said Kairi as she stood up and summoned her Keyblade, "yep, I'm definitely feeling better. Now let's go save Bloom!"

Just then the false Avalon appeared, "sorry to disappoint you all, but your adventure ends here!"

"Imposter!" said Aisha, "we trusted you!"

"And such fools you were to do that," said the Doppelganger. He then stepped forward, "you thought you could fool me with that false attack on the main tower. I soon saw through it and came here to intercept you. Once I've eliminated you, I shall go to Alfea and destroy that pathetic paladin, the real Avalon, then I'll be the real one!"

"You leave Professor Avalon alone!" snapped Stella, "he's suffered enough!"

"And his suffering shall continue!" said the Doppelganger, "you all shall suffer, all for the glory of Darkar!"

"Not this year!" said Roxas as he summoned his Keyblades, "I'm going to cut you up real nice!"

"Save a piece for me!" said Malcolm as he summoned his Keyblade.

"Who are you?" Kairi asked.

"You could say I'm the intern," said Malcolm.

"He's my brother," said Mirta, "and I'm fighting with him!" she glared at the Doppelganger, "this is one fight you're not walking away from!"

"Count me in too!" said Naminé, "this thing hurt Kairi, I'm going to get it for that!"

"Get going, Sora!" said Roxas, "save Bloom and stop Darkar!"

"Will do!" said Sora. With that he, Kairi, Carmen, Stella, Aisha and the pixies ran out of the room, continuing the pursuit of Bloom and Darkar.

"I think not!" said the false Avalon as he began to follow them, but Roxas jumped in front of the Doppelganger, barring his path while Naminé got behind the false Avalon, with Mirta moving to the left and Malcolm to the right.

"We're your opponents now, you big phony!" said Mirta.

"How tedious," said the fake Avalon as he summoned a black sword that crackled with dark magic, "this won't take long."

"We'll see about that!" said Malcolm. With that he, Roxas, Mirta and Naminé closed in on the fake Avalon.

* * *

The remaining members of the rescue team soon found themselves in the chapel-like room, "the trail ends here," said Lockette, "Bloom was here, but then she left for…I don't know where."

"Then we're too late," said Aisha, "Darkar's gone to Realix."

"He hasn't won yet," said Sora, "we can still stop him if we can go to Realix as well."

"But how?" Stella asked, "we don't have The Codex, and even if we did we don't know how to use it, or at least I don't know."

"This is where we come into play," said Concorda.

"That's right," said Discorda, "we'll reopen the portal so you can chase after Darkar."

"And just how are we going to do that?" Chatta asked, "like Stella said, we don't have the Codex."

"Oh yes we do," said Athena.

"Okay, you've lost me," said Stella, while Aisha, Sora, Kairi and the bonded pixies also looked confused.

"These will do the job," said Concorda as she and the other Guardian Pixies summoned four different, broach-like items, "While the four crystals of The Codex are indeed the keys to opening the door to Realix, it is not the only key."

"When it became apparent that Darkar was after The Codex," said Ninfia, "Faragonda had us keep these items well hidden. As far as The Magical Dimension was concerned, only the four of us and Faragonda knew that these items even existed."

"Until now," said Discorda, "the time has come to use them.

"Then this is it," said Sora.

"I'm ready," said Kairi confidently.

"Okay, Darkar," said Aisha, "we're coming to you, ready or not!"

* * *

"And another group of foul creatures buy the dust!" said Elise as she finished electrocuting a canine monster. She, Riku, Tecna and Digit were all a but out of breath, but very satisfied that they had seemingly cleared the corridor of all enemies.

"Alright," said Tecna, "let's hurry and catch up with the others."

"I just hope we're not too late," said Digit.

"I'm more worried that Sora and Carmen would have done all the hard work for us," said Riku, "those two are almost as big of rivals as he and I are. For all I know, they may have saved Bloom and Kairi and stopped Darkar all by themselves by now."

Just then Timmy, The Specialists, King Mickey, Donald and Goofy ran up to them, "Are you alright, Tecna?" Timmy asked as he and she embraced.

"Never better," said Tecna.

"The others ran ahead," said Elise, "and may have already won the whole things by now."

"Or Sora and the others could be neck deep in trouble," said Riku.

"I'm sure Sora and the others are okay," said The King, "but I'm worried about Carmen."

"Carmen?" Elise asked, "what for?"

"I only remembered it a few minutes ago while we were running inside," said The King, "last year I forgot to tell Sora that he needed to make sure that Carmen survived the battle against The Trix and their horde of Heartless. She had to be safe because very soon, like in a few minutes or so, she's going to make a very important decision that will affect the future of The Magical Dimension."

"What kind of decision?" Elise asked cautiously, "this is my friend we're talking about here."

"I'm not sure," said King Mickey, "only that it's an important, personal decision that will have consequences that will, for better or worse, change things in The Magical Dimension."

"We'll worry about Carmen when we catch up with her and the others," said Sky, "we're running out of time to save Bloom and stop Darkar. Where are the others?"

"Somewhere else in the castle," said Riku, "I can't reach either Sora, Tess, Aiden or Roxas, something about the castle is interfering with our telepathy."

"Hang on!" said both Tecna and Timmy, "we can track them!"

"No need to waste your energy," said Helia.

"What?" a confused Tecna asked.

"Why, Helia?" Brandon asked, "what are you up to?"

"Not me actually," said Helia as he stepped forward and pointed to what appeared to be an origami sitting on the floor, one that was a crane made of white paper. All of a sudden it took flight and flew down the hallway as if it were a real bird.

"Okay," said a confused Riku, "what was that?"

"One of The Winx must have put a spell on it so we can follow it," said Timmy.

"I'll bet it was Flora," said Brandon.

"Then let's follow it," said Tecna.

"Say, your majesty," said Riku as they all followed the paper crane, "just how do you know that Carmen's going to make this important decision?"

"And it'd better be a good answer," said Elise, "I'm highly invested in Carmen's future; not only am I her friend, I'm also her attorney."

"You never told us you were a lawyer," said Tecna, "how did you get to be one?"

"It's amazing what can be done on the internet," said Elise, "and you never asked if I was a lawyer," she then looked at The King, "now tell us where you learned this thing about Carmen?"

"Oh, it's an old prophecy I read in an old book I borrowed from a library a while back," said King Mickey, "I can't remember the exact words of the prophecy, but it's clear that Carmen is the one the prophecy is talking about and that she's going to play an important roll in the future of The Magical Dimension," he paused in thought, "I think I lost that book, and I probably owe a fine on it too."

"Never mind that," said Sky, "let's just focus on finding Bloom and Kairi and stopping Darkar."

* * *

"What exactly are you going to do?" Kairi asked as the four Guardian Pixies formed a circle with their outstretched hands.

"Something amazing," said Concorda. She and the other Guardian Pixies closed their eyes in concentration while the four items hovered in front of them. An aura of blue magic formed around them, then shot a foot into the air, and inside the sparkly magic appeared several, multi-colored polygons of an indeterminable nature.

"Behold!" said Concorda, "The Codex Cipher!"

"What's that?" Aisha asked in amazement and confusion.

"A cipher is like a puzzle," said Athena "Or a riddle."

"Oh no!" exclaimed Aisha, "a puzzle is the last thing we need right now!"

"You mean we have to solve this thing in order to get to Realix?" Chatta asked.

"It looks so complicated," said Amore, "we'll never solve it in time to save Bloom."

"Oh, would you look at that," said Stella in an annoyed tone as she looked at the floating polygons, "are those colors off or what?" She then walked towards the polygons.

"We need Tecna with her computer," said Aisha, not realizing that Stella was working on the puzzle, "or Musa, she's really good with puzzles."

"Don't look at me," said Sora, "I'm not that good with them."

"I'm mediocre at best," said Kairi.

"Same with me," said Carmen, "Elise is much better, but Morgan, don't even bother with her. Trust me, she sucks at puzzles."

"Even Flora could…" said Aisha, but then she saw that Stella was rearranging the polygons into a pattern, "What are you doing?"

"The colors were clashing with each other," said Stella as she finished forming the polygons into a multi-sided pattern, "I moved them around a bit, and…"

But then the pattern began emitting a bright red light.

"She solved it!" said an astonished Concorda as the portal to Realix began to open.

"It's a complex spectrum analysis problem," said an amazed Athena, "no one has ever solved it that fast before, no one."

"And Stella just set the record," said Carmen in a discombobulated, "how's that for irony?"

"Just goes to show you that a fashion sense is a vital skill after all," said Stella. But then the portal began emitting a strange, wavering noise and began pulsing erratically.

"What's wrong with it?" Chatta asked.

"The portal is unstable!" said Concorda, "Darkar must have left behind a trap! Come on!" with that she and the other Guardian Pixies flew up to the portal and began channeling their magic into it.

"They're holding it open for us!" said Chatta.

"They're going to need help!" said Amore.

"We'll go on ahead!" said Aisha, "you stay and help them keep it open!"

"You got it!" said Chatta. With that she, Lockette, Amore and Piff all flew up to the four Guardian Pixies and added their magic to the stabilizing spell.

"Let's go!" said Sora as he and Kairi summoned their Keyblades. With that they, Carmen, Stella and Aisha ran into the portal.

* * *

**…Realix…**

A low humming of magic could be heard on the ruined temple as Dark Bloom continued to chant.

"Yes," said Darkar, "we are nearly there!"

But then Dark Bloom stopped chanting as she saw the portal open and from it emerged Sora, Kairi, Carmen, Aisha and Stella.

"That was probably our easiest portal crossing yet," said Sora.

"How bad has it been for you?" Carmen asked.

"Pretty rough," said Kairi, "I'll tell you all about it later."

"Ug!" exclaimed Stella as she looked around at their surroundings, "this place is a mess!"

"Never mind that!" said Aisha, "look!" she then pointed Darkar and Dark Bloom.

"How!" exclaimed Darkar, "how did you get here without The Codex!?"

"That's our dirty little secret, you bony bastard!" said Carmen.

"Bloom!" shouted both Aisha and Stella.

"That's not Bloom," said Kairi, "it's the demon," she glared ahead, "isn't that right, Ozezil?"

"Ah, Kairi," said Dark Bloom as she glared at our heroes, "you got your voice back and escaped my little game of death. How nice of you. Not! Now if you'll excuse me, I've a universe to doom to eternal darkness."

"We won't let you, demon!" said Aisha as she and Stella flew above their possessed friend. They both shot their spells at Dark Bloom, breaking her concentration on the summoning chant and knocking her off balance. The spells continued on and nearly hit Darkar, who took flight, just as Dark Bloom fell to her knees. Darkar landed on the platform.

"That's the thing I hate the most about possessing humans," said Dark Bloom as Darkar helped her up, "they can feel pain just as much as they can dish it out."

"Never mind about your personal discomforts," said Darkar, "start the ritual over," he then glared up at Stella and Aisha, "I'll take care of those meddling pests!" he then flew up at the two fairies.

"You do that," said Dark Bloom

"No, Bloom!" shouted Aisha, "you can't let that demon summon the Ultimate Power!"

"Listen to us, Bloom!" said Stella, "we're your best friends! Fight that demon! Fight to be free!"

"As I already told Kairi," said Dark Bloom, "your friend ain't here anymore! I'm in control of Bloom now, and I'll use her body to do whatever I want, to whomever I want, whenever I damn well feel like!" She then powered up her dark magic aura.

"Even if Bloom could hear you," said Darkar, "there is nothing she can do to stop the demon."

"Get out of our way, Lord Dorkor!" snapped Stella.

"We'll save Bloom and shut you down for good!" said Aisha.

"It's useless to attack me," said Darkar, "as you should know, princess of Andros!"

"Things have a way of changing!" said Aisha. She and Stella then flew behind Darkar and landed on broken columns. They then combined their powers for a convergence spell, one that shot spheres of morphix that shone like miniature suns.

But Darkar casually blocked the spheres with a red energy shield, "pathetic!" he said.

"Keep those losers occupied so I can concentrate!" said Dark Bloom.

"You still have us to deal with!" said Kairi.

"Oh, right," said Dark Bloom, "then let's party!" with that she rushed at Kairi and blasted her with several spheres of dark Dragonfire, then attacked Sora and Carmen.

By then Aisha and Stella had used up a lot of energy and were forced to stop their attack on Darkar, "we need more power to hurt him!" said Aisha, "let's use our Charmix!"

"Right!" said Stella. With that they both summoned their Charmix.

"What trickery is this?" a slightly startled and confused Darkar asked.

Stella and Aisha then channeled their evolved powers into one massive sphere of morphix and light and shot it at Darkar, catching him by surprise and blasting him out of existence.

"Did we do it?" Aisha asked.

"I don't see him," said Stella, "maybe we did finish Darkar off."

"Let's hope so," said Aisha, "come on, let's go get Bloom!"

"Uh-uh!" said Dark Bloom as she flew up to Stella and Aisha, leaving Sora, Kairi and Carmen on the ground, the three of them struggling to recover from several painful burns, "you're not getting me, I'm getting you!"

But then Darkar reappeared, "carry on with the ritual, my friend!" he said with a vicious smile. He then cast a dark magic spell that caused a viscous red and orange liquid to bubble out of the cracked tiles of the floor. The liquid then surged up and ensnared Aisha and Stella, trapping them on the ground in its sticky mess.

"What is this stuff!?" exclaimed Aisha as she and Stella struggled to free themselves, but only got themselves stuck even harder in the red goo, "I can't move!"

"This has got to be the single most disgusting dark spell we've been caught in yet," said Stella, "and I know disgusting!"

"I'd love to hear all about your experiences with revolting dark magic," said Darkar as he hovered over the two trapped fairies, "but I have a universe to conquer!"

Just then Lockette, who had flown through the portal a few seconds ago, reached the possessed fairy, "Bloom, you've got to listen to me!" said the pixy of portals, "I know you're still there! My power can help you find your way back!" she then tried to kiss Dark Bloom, hoping that her special talent would reach Bloom's trapped soul.

"Enough!" snapped Darkar as he charged up a red sphere of dark magic.

"No, Lockette!" shouted Aisha a Darkar threw the sphere, "watch out!'

The warning came just in time. Lockette dodged the red sphere and flew to hide someplace.

"This is growing quite tedious," said Darkar, "time to finish you meddling fairies off!"

"You'll have to go through us, your crimson piece of chimera crap!" said Carmen as she, Kairi and Sora got back up. "you lay one claw on them and I'll ruin you with my anger!"

"And we'll stop you as well!" Sora, while Kairi nodded in agreement.

"You brats are also growing tedious," said Darkar, "I think I'll turn you into insects so I can crush you beneath my heel!"

"Don't bother," said Dark Bloom as she walked towards Sora, Kairi and Carmen, "I'll destroy them."

"You have your own task to perform!" said Darkar, "begin the chant again!"

"I'll do it when I'm good and ready," said the possessed fairy. She then pointed at Sora, Kairi and Aiden, "these three are pissing me off."

"You think you're pissed now?" Carmen asked, "you ain't seen nothing yet! When I send you back to hell this time, I'll burry you so deep, not even the devil can dig you out!" she then began chanting the exorcism ritual.

"_Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus…"_

"Stop!" said Kairi, "she'll steal your voice!"

"What?" Carmen asked.

"I realize now what happened to me," said Kairi as she glared at Dark Bloom, "Darkar must have put some sort of protective enchantment on the demon when he got it out of hell. When I tried to do the exorcism ritual, the enchantment triggered and allowed the demon to steal my voice."

"Brilliant deduction, Kairi," said Dark Bloom, "but it'll do you no good! Now," she then formed a ball of dark Dragonfire, "what will it be? Grilled or fried?"

"Neither!" said Carmen, "if I can't use the exorcism, I'll think of something else. Either way, I'm getting you out of Bloom and sending you back to hell!"

At that the possessed fairy looked at Carmen in a puzzled manner, "now, that is something that's stirring my curiosity. Why are you so hot and bothered about helping Bloom? Why should you, a witch, care so much about the wellbeing of a fairy? And don't bother with the excuse of being Bloom's friend and wanting to heal the rift between witches and fairies. There's more to it. So, why?"

Sora and Kairi were just as curious.

At that Carmen looked as if she didn't want to answer, while at the same time she desperately wanted to tell the truth. Her sense of honesty won out in the end. "You want to know my reasons? You sure you can handle the truth?"

"I reckon I can," said Dark Bloom.

"Alright," said Carmen, "here's the truth about why I'm so hot and bothered about helping Bloom; I owe her a debt that I can never fully repay."

"And what debt is this?" the possessed fairy asked.

"Is this the other debt you told us that you owed?" Sora asked.

"The same," said Carmen, "I found out about it during my freshman year at Cloud Tower. It was on a weekend, Morgan and I were in the city and we had a coupon for a psychic reading, a 'buy one, get one half off' coupon. Normally we witches tend to stay away from psychics, they're mostly phonies and charlatans in The Magical Dimension, but this one was the real deal.

"We decided to each get a past life regression reading, where we could see whom we had been hundreds of years ago. Morgan came from a long line of practical jokesters, no surprised there, but me, I was something different. It was revealed that I am the reincarnation of Lyssa Delgado, the last Grand High Witch of The Magical Dimension."

"No way!" said a shocked Aisha.

"Who?" Stella asked, "and what's a Grand High Witch?"

"You really need to pay attention in history class," said Aisha, "the title of Grand High Witch is bestowed on a witch who demonstrates unparallel prowess in the dark arts, as well as holds the loyalty of all the covens of witches in the universe. A Grand High Witch can call upon the powers of all the covens in The Magical Dimension, making her one of the most powerful magic users alive, and Lyssa Delgado was the most powerful to ever live. Had she faced The Ancestress Coven, they would have been forced to obey her or be destroyed by the power of all the other covens."

"Lyssa was great," said Carmen, "but there was one greater; one who Lyssa's equal in power, but was also the most loved and respected magic user of her time, Danielle, Queen of Domino, and Bloom's many times great-grandmother."

At that everyone in the area was left dumbstruck for a few seconds as the heroes and villains took this in.

"You're kidding," said Stella finally.

"Are you saying that in a past life, you knew Boom's ancestor?" Kairi asked.

"More than that," said Carmen, "Danielle and Lyssa were friends, best friends, almost sisters even. This was a time when tensions between witches and fairies weren't as high strung as they were recently. Danielle and Lyssa had a dream of healing the rift between the magic users," she paused to smile, "I guess that's where my dream of healing the rift came from.

"Anyway, Danielle was the keeper of The Dragonfire as well as Queen of Domino. More so, she was also The Great Lady of Springtide, the title bestowed on the most powerful fairy in the universe, whom had the love and loyalty of all the other fairies in The Magical Dimension. That was the difference between her and Lyssa; my former life had to persuade and sometimes force the covens to obey her, while Danielle ruled with kindness and love, and despite their differences, Lyssa loved Danielle like a sister, and Danielle loved Lyssa in turn.

"For a while they…we… thought we were making progress in healing the rift, but all our dreams were about to come crashing down. We were betrayed by a sorcerer, a wicked man known only as The Puppeteer, named so because of his insidious power of transferring his soul into new bodies every generation or so, while also controlling other bodies like puppets, hence his name.

"The Puppeteer took control of the body of Lyssa's closest advisor, while he did the same thing to Danielle's. Both of us were completely unaware as The Puppeteer fed us poisoned words that began rotting our friendship down to the core. First we began to feel jealous of each other's beauty, followers and powers, then we suspected each other of seeking stronger powers and more followers. We started having arguments over the slightest disagreements that escalated into shouting matches, then finally we stopped speaking to each other.

"All the while, The Puppeteer kept lying to us and making us hate each other more and more. It got to the point where Lyssa had had enough and went to confront Danielle over a false accusation of plotting to murder her, while Danielle was about to accuse Lyssa of the same. The inevitable fight soon erupted as Danielle and Lyssa vowed to kill each other. They had enough reason still in them to take their fight to an uninhabited world so as not to hurt any innocents.

"The battle raged for thirteen days as the former friends did their best to destroy each other. It was an awe inspiring and nightmarish display of magic as both used their powers to the fullest and called upon the powers of their followers. By the end of the thirteenth and final day, the planet was a ruined ball of scrap floating in space, while Danielle was struck down.

"It wasn't until after Lyssa cast the fatal spell that she came to her senses. She held the dieing Danielle in her arms, tears falling from her eyes as she begged her friend not to leave her. Danielle, who had also came to her senses in her final moments, told Lyssa that she forgave her friend and begged her to not let their feud destroy all their work in healing the rift. And then she died.

"The sound of Lyssa's heart breaking could be heard across the Magical Dimension. Lyssa tried everything she could to bring Danielle back, but once a fairy dies, there's no bringing her back, not after the battle they just had.

"As Lyssa cradled Danielle's body in her arms, The Puppeteer appeared, rapturously laughing at her agony. The Puppeteer then told Lyssa that he turned them against each other and ruined our dream of healing the rift between fairies and witches, all for his amusement. He told Lyssa that he was thousands of years old, prolonging his insidious life by stealing the bodies of others and spreading pain, misery and sorrow wherever he went, all so he could get a few laughs in.

"That's when Lyssa lost all control and used 'The Deplorable Words,' otherwise known as 'The Armageddon Spell.'"

"No," said a shocked Stella, while Aisha also looked horrified.

"I'm guessing that it's a very bad spell," said Sora in a nervous tone, while Kairi looked equally unsettled.

"It's the most powerful dark magic spell in The Magical Dimension," said Carmen, "capable of unparallel destruction. It is also a highly complex spell, using not only words and energy but also physical reagents. Depending on just how much energy is used in the casting and the level of potency in the reagents, it can wipe out all life on a planet, destroy the planet, destroy an entire solar system or, darkness forbid, destroy everything in the universe, and I mean doomsday.

"Lyssa had hoped to destroy just The Puppeteer and herself, a suicide attack to destroy a great evil, but in her exhausted state and suffering from a broken heart, she lost control over the spell and destroyed the whole planet and two more nearby, while also killing herself in the process. I can't say for sure of The Puppeteer was destroyed as well, but I honestly hope he was."

At that Carmen sighed and wiped some tears from her eyes before continuing, "that was hundreds of years ago. Lyssa has been reborn in me, and though I can't say for sure, I want to believe that Danielle has been reborn in Bloom. But even if that's not true, I still see Bloom as more than my friend. I love her like family and would do just about anything for her if she was in trouble," she glared at Dark Bloom, "which she is now! I'm going to do everything in my power to get you out of her, demon!"

At that the possessed fairy had nothing to say, as if stunned into silence and unsure how to respond.

But then Darkar started laughing cruelly, "so, that's your reason for trying to save Bloom. You feel obligated to atone for a past wrong!"

"Yes," said Carmen in a determined tone, "I'm going to make right what went wrong between Lyssa and Danielle! I'm going to save Bloom! And together, we'll heal the rift between fairies and witches! Together, we'll bring peace and harmony to The Magical Dimension!"

"Your efforts will be in vain!" said Darkar, "the Ultimate Power shall be mine!" he then glared down at the trapped Stella, "after I destroy this little pest here!"

"No!" shouted Sora, Kairi, Carmen and Aisha, while Stella could only watch in horror as Darkar raised his clawed hand, as if to slash it down at her throat.

"This is the end of you!" shouted Darkar.

But then Sky, Brandon, Flora and Musa, jumped through the portal. Brandon rushed at Darkar and blocked the fatal attack with his green broadsword, "Don't you dare, you rotting piece of scrap iron!" snapped Brandon, "paws off!"

"Brandon!" Stella shouted joyfully as Darkar was forced to back away.

"Sorry we're late," said Sky, while Tecna, Timmy, Riven and Helia, jumped through the portal, followed by Riku, Tess, Roxas, Naminé, Elise, Morgan, Malcolm and Mirta.

"Everyone alright?" Tecna asked.

"Nothing a shower couldn't fix," said Aisha.

"Everyone!" said Sky, "we've got to focus on Bloom!"

"How dare you follow me here!" Darkar snapped as he rose into the air, "and how did you all get past my army of shadow minions?"

"What army?" Tess asked, "we all just finished clearing your castle of monsters, more or less."

"We've faced the worst you can throw at us and thrown it out with the trash!" said Musa.

"Oh, and that Doppelganger of yours," said Malcolm, "a total pussy."

"One good distraction spell was all it took," said Mirta.

"The rest was easy," said Roxas, "one good slash and off went his head."

"We'd bring it to show you," said Naminé, "but it vanished with the body."

"Yeah, that happens with Doppelgangers," said Morgan, "if you're not careful, they'll just fall to pieces on you."

"You're out of minions, Darkar!" Kairi shouted, "I'll bet you're sorry for kicking Xehanort and Sephiroth out."

"I was wondering why we didn't run into them," said Sora, "hey, wait, where's The King?"

"He said he was going to find Faragonda and Aiden," said Brandon, "they'll catch up with us later."

"Which means that Darkar is all ours," said Sky eagerly.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," said Carmen as she cracked her knuckles.

"Insipid fools!" snapped Darkar, "I don't have time to play games with you!" he then shot a stream of dark magic at our heroes, hitting Sky, Riven, Helia, Timmy, Tecna, Morgan and Riku before they could react. They were knocked to the ground and infected with a dark purple aura that sapped their strength.

"What was that?" Morgan asked in a groggy tone, "I feel like I've been partying too much."

"I can barely move!" said Sky.

"That bony bastard!" said Riven.

"Oh, you're so going to get it!" said Tess, "no one does that to my friends and gets away with it!"

"I already have!" said Darkar, "and now to finish off the rest of you, all at once!"

"Go to hell!" shouted Carmen.

* * *

**…Shadowhaunt…**

"I think it's safe to say that I hate this ugly son of a bitch!" said Aiden as he and Corditorta dodged an axe swing from Kerbog.

"You and me both, kid," said Corditorta.

"Get down, you two!" shouted Griffin as she and Faragonda prepared their spells, "you're in our way!"

Aiden and Corditorta ducked as the two headmistresses shot their spells at the berserker, who deflected them with his axe.

"Oh great," said Aiden, "now what?"

"We try again!" said Corditorta, "and keep trying!" with that he rushed at the berserker, moving to the left, "come and get me, you lumbering lummox!" he shouted as he slashed at the creature's leg, but his energy sword only grazed it's thick hide. He then ducked an axe swing that would have taken his head off.

Aiden then tried to transmute the ground under Kerbog into spikes, but the berserker jumped away from the impaling spike, then swung its axe at Aiden, who dodged it by a hairsbreadth.

"Come on, you bastard!" snapped Corditorta, "come and see what a Red Fountain swords master can do!"

Kerbog then swung its axe down at Corditorta, who blocked it with his sword. The berserker began forcing the axe down, trying to break past Corditorta's sword, which was the only thing keeping him from being split in half, and the sword master was losing ground at an alarming rate.

Corditorta then deflected the axe to the side, allowing him room to run back to Aiden, Griffin and Faragonda.

"Magic is useless against that horrible thing!" said Faragonda as the berserker stalked towards them.

"And so is Alchemy," said Griffin.

"I'm not giving up!" said Corditorta, "I've wrestled dragons stronger than this ugly brute!"

"And I've killed more Heartless than I can count," said Aiden, "no way am I giving up either!"

"Just watch out for its axe!" said Corditorta.

"Right!' said Aiden, with that they both rushed at the berserker again.

But before either of them could attack, Kerbog knocked Corditorta's sword out of his hands, then backhanded Aiden into the wall. The berserker then raised its axe to strike Aiden down for the final time.

Just then there was a flash of gold as King Mickey leapt into the area and deflected Kerbog's axe with his Keyblade, "sorry I'm late," said The King, "I kinda got lost."

"Your timing was perfect, your majesty," said Aiden as King Mickey helped him stand up, "but I don't know what good it'll do. That thing is impervious to magic and my Alchemy, and its skin is too thick for Keyblades."

"Then we'll have to try a different approach," said Griffin.

"I'm way ahead of you, old friend!" said Faragonda. The two of them then cast spells on Corditorta, doubling the weapons master's speed and tripling his strength and stamina.

Corditorta then grabbed Kerbog's axe as the berserker was bringing it down on him, forced it out of Kerbog's grasp and threw it away. Corditorta then grabbed Kerbog by the midsection in a bear hug lock, squeezing so hard that you could hear the creature's spine snapping. It then exploded into a cloud of black smoke, and from it emerged the bat-like creature that was Kerbog's original form, "now!" shouted the weapons master as the creature tried to fly away, "get it!"

The King and the two headmistresses then shot attack spells at Kerbog, hitting it and causing it to explode, destroying it completely.

"Well," sighed Aiden, "that battle sucked."

"At least it's over," said Corditorta as he brushed dust from his tunic, "and what a workout."

"If you're not too exhausted, Corditorta," said Faragonda, "we should hurry to our students and friends, they might need our help."

"There's a hotdog idea," said King Mickey. With that they hurried through the corridors.

* * *

**…Realix…**

"Die, you rusting tosspot!" shouted Carmen as she shot a dark sphere at Darkar, who swatted it away like it was a fly, then dodged the thrown Keyblades from Sora and Riku.

"Pathetic!' said Darkar as he waved his hand, creating a wave of dark magic that forced Sora, Riku and Carmen back, then shot several curses at Sky, Riven, Helia, Timmy, Tecna and Morgan.

Flora and Musa then got in front of their downed friends and cast a convergence spell that shielded them friends from the incoming curses.

"It's working!" said Flora as her shield and Musa's held against the dark onslaught.

Sora then saw that Dark Bloom was back atop the altar in the middle of the ruins, chanting the summoning spell again.

"We've got to stop her!" shouted Flora, but this instant of distraction was enough for her shield to fail and she was struck by the curses, knocking her to the ground.

"No! Flora!" shouted Helia.

Musa then glared at Darkar, "You've still got me to fight!" she shouted.

"Then you shall die first!" shouted Darkar. He then shot a sphere of dark fire at Musa.

"NO!" shouted Riven. He then found the strength to resist the energy-sapping curse to get up, run in front of Musa and shield her from the oncoming dark fire. It hit him square in the chest and knocked him to the ground.

"Riven!" Musa shouted in a horrified tone.

"You son of a bitch!" snapped Riku.

"Hit him with everything you've got!" shouted Carmen. With that she, Elise, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Mirta and Malcolm, all shot their best attacks or spells at Darkar, who deflected them with a shield spell, then retaliated with spheres of dark fire that knocked everyone to the ground, leaving only Musa still standing.

Darkar laughed at the sight of all the fallen heroes, "you pitiful creatures never stood a chance against me! Now you shall all die!"

Just then there was a flash of dark blue magic from high above and there in the air floated The Mega Trix, laughing insanely.

"What the fraking hell is that?" Morgan asked as our heroes and allies all looked up in horror, "it's like Icy, Darcy and Stormy all did the fusion dance, or something."

"You're partly right, Morgan," said The Mega Trix as she landed on the ground, "the witches you know as Icy, Darcy and Stormy, we have become one!" she then glared at Darkar, "you shouldn't have cast us aside, Darkar! Now you're going to pay!"

"Well ain't this a dilly of a pickle," said Dark Bloom, "I could have warned you, Darkar, that kicking The Trix out would come back to bite you in the ass, but I doubted you'd listen."

"Never mind them!" snapped Darkar, "I'll deal with these obsolete witches! Continue the summoning!"

"Yeah, I'll do the summoning," muttered Dark Bloom irately, "I'll give you a summoning right up your ass. Then we'll see who laughs last." She then resumed the ritual chant.

"What's the matter, Darkar?" asked The Mega Trix, "afraid of hitting a superior girl?"

"We'll see who's superior!" said Darkar as he powered up a red sphere of dark magic and threw it at The Mega Trix, who dodged it by teleporting behind Darkar and slapping him on the back with both hands. The super witch laughed gleefully as Darkar was trapped in a column of ice. But then Darkar broke out of the ice with a shout of rage.

"I don't get it," said Aisha, "how did The Trix merge into one?"

"They must have had one seriously powerful and wicked spell in reserve," said Tenca, while Timmy and Elise nodded in agreement.

"By the looks of things," said Stella, "they've learned how to cooperate in a super creepy way."

"But why would The Trix be helping us?" Flora asked, "and how did they get here?"

"Who said they were helping us?" Riku asked, "and they probably followed us."

"Well, they'd never help us on purpose," said Tecna. "The only logical explanation is that they hate Darkar more than they hate us."

"'The enemy of my enemy is my friend,'" said Kairi.

"The day we become friends with The Trix is a day I never want to see," said Sora.

"I'm with you on that," said Carmen.

"I honestly don't know who to cheer for," said Mirta, "'cause whoever wins, we lose."

"Too true, Mirta," said The Mega Trix, "consider this a temporary respite, for when we're done with Darkar, then it will be your turn to taste our wrath! Then The Ultimate Power shall be ours!"

"No!" shouted Darkar as he threw another dark red sphere at The Mega Trix, and missed again, "The Ultimate Power is mine!"

"We'll see about that," said The Mega Trix. Heir already long hair grew even longer and shot at Darkar, ensnaring his arms and slamming him into the walls of the ruins.

"Riven," said Musa as she knelt beside her unconscious on and off boyfriend, "Riven! Can you hear me? Please?" she then held him close in her arms, tears streaming from her eyes "please, say something!"

"Something," Riven said, barely above a whisper. He then opened his eyes and stared up at her, "Musa, I'm sorry I've been a total ass."

"I don't care, you big dummy," said Musa. She then kissed him full on the mouth.

"Well, that's one problem solved," said Tess as she and Riku struggled to get back up.

"If only the others were that simple," said Riku.

"Get ready for the finish, Darkar!" said The Mega Trix, "taste our hate, our anger, our bitterness," she then powered up and shot a beam of dark magic at Darkar, "and our revenge!"

"Uh, if anyone's interested," said Dark Bloom, "I'm almost done with the ritual. Just a bit more and The Ultimate Power will be here."

"No, don't do it, Bloom!" shouted Sky.

"Yes, do it!" shouted The Mega Trix, "bring out The Ultimate Power, so we can claim it!" laughing insanely, she flew towards the possessed fairy. But then Darkar shot two spheres of red dark magic that hit The Mega Trix and sent her slamming into a broken stone column. She then fell hard on the ground and separated back into Icy, Darcy and Stormy.

"Oh man," groaned Stormy, "this is why I didn't want to use the spell."

Just then what appeared to be a large, red, orange and yellow flower that glowed brightly, appeared above Dark Bloom's raised hands.

"Oh, yeah!" said the possessed fairy triumphantly, "it's finally here!"

"Wait, that's The Ultimate Power?" Darcy asked as she, Icy and Stormy struggled to stand up, but could only manage to barely sit up without falling over, "that's what we worked so hard for? A freaking flower?"

"I'm just as confused as you are," said Stella, while the rest of our heroes nodded in agreement.

"It is no mere flower," said Darkar, "it is a talisman that can grant whomever wields it a single wish."

At that Icy looked like she was thunderstruck, "what?" she asked, "a wish? We risked our lives for one wish? We basically sold our souls to you all so you can have one freaking wish?!"

"I'll hate myself later for saying it," said Carmen, "but I agree with Icy. All of this for one wish?" she glared at Darkar, "are you as insane as you look?"

"This will be a perfect wish," said Darkar, "one wish without restraint or consequences, and I shall use it to become the undisputed overlord of The Magical Dimension, of the entire universe, of all of time and space!"

"You bony bastard!" snapped an outraged Icy, "I'll kill you for this!"

"Silence!" spat Darkar as he shot a wave of dark magic at The Trix, knocking all three of them out cold.

"Oh, they had to have felt that one," winced Stella.

"I almost feel sorry for them," said Mirta.

"Me too," said Carmen, "I'll hate myself for that later."

"Proper minions are so hard to find," said Darkar, "but it matters not, for soon all that I desire shall be mine!" he then morphed into a giant, rust colored phoenix, The Shadow Phoenix, and flew above Dark Bloom, hovering just above the flower that was The Ultimate Power.

"NO, Bloom, stop it!" shouted Sky, while the others also shouted for Bloom to stop.

"The battle is over," said Darkar, "and I have won! Soon, you and everything else in existence shall call me 'master!'"

It was then that Dark Bloom smirked wickedly, "that's what you think!" she then unleashed her dark Dragonfire aura that burned The Shadow Phoenix, damaging him enough to make him cry out in pain and fall to the ground.

"You!" snapped Darkar as he glared up at the possessed fairy, "you dare betray me!"

"What'd you expect, bonehead?" Dark Bloom asked in a taunting tone as she held The Ultimate Power in her arms, "I'm a freaking demon!"

"I honestly didn't see this coming," said Carmen, "but I'm also not really surprised."

"You know what? Me neither," said Brandon.

"Treacherous demon!" snapped Darkar, "I raised you out from Perdition! I can send you back just as easily!"

"You'll be dead before you can banish me," said Dark Bloom, "but then, you won't get to witness the real fun. You thought I was working for you, but I've been in the service of a greater master, the true lord of chaos."

"Chernabog!" said Sora, "you work for Chernabog!"

"Check out the brain on Sora!" said Dark Bloom in a mocking tone, "you're really smart for a mediocre Keyblade brat. Yes, I work for Chernabog, and with this," she held up The Ultimate Power, "I shall rip open the fabric of reality across time and space, unleashing hell and plunging all of existence into chaos! Lord Chernabog shall have his chaotic feast, and I'll be the chef!"

"You're insane!" exclaimed Malcolm.

"Duh!" said the possessed fairy, "I'm a freaking demon!"

"We've got to stop this," said Sora, "we can't let that thing unleash hell everywhere!"

"I'd love to help, pretty boy," said Carmen, "but none of us are in any condition to do anything about it."

It did seem hopeless for our heroes and allies, but there was still a tiny spark of hope that arrived in the form of Lockette as she flew up to Sky, "you know what you have to do," she said.

"Yeah, I know," said Sky, "you and the others have done everything you could, and now, I'll try one more time." He struggled against the energy-sapping curse and stood up.

"What are you doing, man?" Riven asked.

"You can't fight the demon in your condition!" Aisha shouted, "she'll boil you up!"

"I still have to try," said Sky. He then walked towards the possessed fairy.

"Sky!" shouted Brandon, "don't! She'll kill you!"

"That's not Bloom!" Tecna shouted, "not any more!"

"I don't believe that!" said Sky as he walked right up to Dark Bloom, "I refuse to accept that she's gone!" he looked at the possessed fairy in the eye, "Bloom! I know you're in there!"

At that Darkar laughed cruelly, "you think you can bring her back into the light? Fool! She's trapped in the darkness forever!"

"Shut your pie hole, feather brains!" snapped Dark Bloom, "I'll deal with lover boy here," she glared at Sky, "don't waste your breath, blondie, Bloom can't hear you."

"I'm not talking to you, demon!" said Sky in a determined tone, "I'm speaking to my girlfriend. Bloom? Please, I know you're in there somewhere. It's me, Sky, your Sky."

"This is so funny I forgot to laugh," said the possessed fairy, "are you done? I'm starting to get bored with this."

"Please, Bloom," said Sky, "you've got to fight this thing!"

"She can't hear you, dumbass!" snapped Dark Bloom.

"Yes she can!" said Sky, "Bloom, you have to wake up! Wake up and take back your life! Remember, the day you saved my life, when the Trix took the first piece of The Codex and I nearly died? Your healing powers woke up then and you saved me. I never had the chance to tell you my feelings."

"Your feelings?!" raged Darkar, "how pathetic!"

Sky ignored the shape shifting warlock as he continued appealing to Bloom's soul, "and then I made a promise to myself, that one day I'd save you. Well, that day is here, but there's nothing I can do. I'm sorry. Maybe, the only thing I really wanted was to spend more time with you, because you, I care more about anything else in the universe."

"I think he's getting to her," said Riku, "look at Bloom!"

Indeed, the expression of the possessed fairy had changed from annoyed hate to confusion.

"Keep going, Sky!" shouted Stella, "you're wining against the demon!"

By now Sky's eyes were tearing over, "please, Bloom, come back. Come back to your friends, come back…to me…I…I love you!"

At that The Winx, Specialists and good witches all gasped in shock..

"My stars," said Stella.

"He said it," remarked Brandon, "he finally said it."

"They've been a couple for almost a year now," said Musa, "but this is the first time he actually told Bloom he loved her."

"It was obvious to anyone looking," said Carmen, "but he finally admitted it."

Just then Sky seemed to lose what little strength he had left and passed out, falling to the ground.

"No! Sky!" shouted Brandon.

At that Darkar laughed triumphantly, "what useless efforts! So much for love!"

"No, this can't be!" squealed Lockette, "why didn't it work? Why?"

"I almost feel sorry for you, Sky," said the possessed fairy, "almost," she then raised one hand and charged up a dark fireball, "I'll show you this one smidgen of mercy by putting you out of your misery before I unleash hell, don't ever say I never did anything for you."

But then the flower that was The Ultimate Power began glowing brightly with a golden light.

"Oh no! she did it!" exclaimed Aisha, "she unleashed hell!"

"We're all going to be torn to pieces by the chaos!" exclaimed Morgan.

"Goodbye, Kairi," said Sora.

"Goodbye, Sora," said Kairi. They clasped hands, while Riku and Tess held each other for what little comfort they could get before the end.

"Wait, something's wrong!" said Carmen, "if the demon unleashed hell, then why is she looking like something bad is about to happen to her.

Dark Bloom did look like she was the one about to meet her doom, "not, how can this be? I didn't make the wish! No! Not her! Damn you, Bloom! Damn you!" she then screamed in agony as the black cloud that was the demon rapidly exited Bloom's body via her mouth, while the golden light of the flower engulfed her. Bloom's body, shining with the radiance of The Ultimate Power, reverted back to her normal, demon-less self.

"No!" exclaimed Darkar, "impossible!"

"This is wonderful!" said a joyful Lockette, "I can feel Bloom's heart, it's free of the demon!"

Holding the shining flower in her hands, Bloom shone it's radiance on our heroes and allies, curing them of the energy-draining curse and restoring all their strength and powers.

"This cannot be!" exclaimed Darkar, "it cannot be! It cannot!"

"It is!" said Aisha.

"Bloom's healing magic," said Stella, "she's got it working!"

"But how?" Flora asked, "how is she using it on us and on herself?"

"And how did she get rid of the demon?" Timmy asked.

With a flash of light, The Ultimate Power vanished from Bloom's hands as she landed on the ground.

"No!" exclaimed Darkar as he took flight again, "for this you shall suffer!"

"Not this year, Darkar!" said Bloom as she confidently smiled, "The Shadow Phoenix shall never rise again, not from my Dragonfire that is."

Sky was now back on his feet. The two of them looked at each other and embraced, "I love you too, Sky," said Bloom.

"I love you, Bloom," said Sky.

"Yes!" exclaimed Stella, "Bloom's back!"

"And in better shape than ever!" said Lockette. At that our heroes and allies all cheered happily.

"But what happened to the demon?" Carmen asked.

Bloom looked up, then down at the ground to the side, "it's over there."

The thick black smoke that was the demon had condensed in the air and fell to the ground, becoming a black, viscous, sludge-like mass.

"Ugg!" exclaimed Malcolm, "nasty!"

"Well, this is one for the record books," said Elise as she, Tecna, Timmy, Riku, Sora and Kairi walked up to and looked down at the sludge mass, "when Bloom exorcised the demon from her, she forced it to congeal into a solid form, more or less."

The sludge mass then condensed even further, becoming human shaped that dripped black goo and had a pair of yellow, snake-like eyes. It tried to get up but found that it had little strength.

"Being solid for the first time without a stolen body," said Carmen to the demon, "not a pleasant experience for one such as you, Ozezil."

The sludge creature then glared at our heroes with its yellow eyes, **_"you pathetic fleshlings!_**" snapped the demon in a high-pitched hiss, _**"you dare to mock me? An upper-level demon?"**_

"You're looking pretty low right about now," said Stella.

"This is the second time I had to vomit you up, Ozezil," said Bloom in an irate tone, "it won't happen again." She then powered up a fireball.

_**"Wait, let's not be too hasty, Bloom!"**_ said Ozezil in a pleading tone as he raised his dripping hands in a placating manner, _**"we can compromise. How about joint custody on the weekends?"**_

Bloom then threw the fireball at the demon with a shout of hate and rage. It's sludge-like body ignited like oil and within seconds it was completely burned away, the demon ceasing to exist with a shrilling scream.

"And that's that," said Bloom.

"Fools!" shouted Darkar, "you think you have won! You've won nothing!"

"I almost forgot that that jerk-face was still here," said Morgan.

"You think if we ignore him enough he'll go away?" Malcolm asked.

"Probably not," said Bloom.

Just then Aiden, The King, Faragonda, Griffin and Corditora jumped through the portal. "Looks like we made it in time for the finale!" said The King after they took in the scene.

"Good to see you back to your old self, Bloom," said Faragonda.

"Good to be back, Ms. Faragonda," said Bloom.

"It matters not how many of you face me!" exclaimed Darkar, "I'll send you all into oblivion!"

"You really out to know when to give up, Darkar!" said Sky as he and The Specialists all readied their weapons.

"And if you won't learn," said Sora as he, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess, summoned their Keyblades, "then we'll just have to make you learn!"

"Count me in on the teaching!" said Malcolm as he summoned his Keyblade, while King Mickey did the same.

"Oh, I'm liking this," said an eagerly smiling Aisha, "kick his crimson butt, everyone!"

"It still won't be enough," said Stella, "Bloom, we've got to help them, but we already tried a convergence spell on Darkar and it didn't work."

"I know, I was aware of everything," said Bloom, she then looked at Carmen, "including one witch's confession. Apparently you owe me, big time, right, Lyssa?"

"I…uh…err…that is…" stammered Carmen as she blushed heavily.

"We'll talk later," said Bloom.

"But Stella's right," said Aisha, "even with our Charmix, we couldn't even scratch Darkar."

"Then we'll just have to use both of them together," said Bloom, "all of us." At that Aisha, Tecna, Flora, Musa and Stella all nodded in agreement.

"We'll hold him off while you're getting ready!" said Sky. At that the Specialists and Keyblade Wielders all nodded in agreement.

"You have nothing that can defeat me!" said Darkar, "I'll swat your attacks aside and absorb your spells and throw them back at you!"

"I'm getting sick of listening to this guy," said Brandon.

"Then let's shut him up for good!" said Riku.

"Hold him off as long as you can!" said Sky, "we have to protect The Winx until they're ready!"

"We'll help as well!" said Griffin. She then looked at Faragonda, "ready, Eleanor?"

"Always, Christine," said Faragonda.

"Die, fools!" shouted Darkar as he shot several dark fireballs from his beaked mouth at The Winx, which the Keyblade Wielders and Specialists all blocked with their varied weapons.

"Don't worry!" shouted Brandon, "we've got you covered!"

"Do what you need to do!" shouted Tess as she blocked a fireball.

"But hurry!" shouted Aiden.

"Go on, Bloom!" shouted Sky, "work your magic!"

But then Darkar flew around to the side, "welcome to oblivion!" he shouted, then shot a steam of dark fire at Bloom and her friends.

Faragonda and Griffin then cast a double shield that deflected the dark fire, "It will take more than that do get past us, Darkar!" shouted both headmistresses. The strain of holding the shield was starting to wear on them, but then Morgan added her own shield that rendered the stream of dark fire harmless.

"Time to bring you down for the count!" shouted Carmen as she powered up her spell, while Elise peppered the Shadow Phoenix with yellow lightning bolts. Carmen then threw a massive gravity spell at Darkar that forced him to the ground.

"We're damaging him!" shouted Mirta as she cast an illusion spell that confounded Darkar, forcing the Shadow Phoenix to attack in the wrong direction.

"And now it's our turn!" said Aisha.

"Using both convergence and Charmix together is going to be the hardest thing we've done yet," said Musa.

"It'll require perfect collaboration," said Tecna.

"Anyone got a problem with that?" Stella asked.

"Not me," said Flora.

"Then let's do it!" said Bloom. With that they all summoned their Charmix. The six fairies then joined hands in a circle, their magical auras glowing brightly as they closed their eyes in concentration.

"How much longer are they going to be?" Aiden asked as he blocked an incoming dark fireball.

"As long as it takes," said Sky.

"I hope it's not too much longer," said Malcolm, "that big turkey is starting to get pissed."

"I'll render you all into ashes!" shouted Darkar.

"Oh go suck and egg!" shouted Morgan.

Just then the Winx all spoke as one, "Charmix Convergence!" they shouted as a golden light shone in the middle of their circle. The light rose up into the air.

"What! Such power!" exclaimed Darkar as the golden light hurtled towards him, "this cannot be! There is no greater power than I!"

The golden light then began breaking Darkar's body apart, "NO! This is impossible! I cannot die! I AM DARKAR!" with a final shout of rage, the great dark lord of The Magical Dimension vanished out of existence.

Our heroes and allies all held their breath for a second, waiting for any sign that Darkar would come back, but he was gone.

"Thank goodness," sighed Stella, while everyone else sighed with relief.

Just then Ninfia poked her head through the portal, "Faragonda! You and the others must return at once! Shadowhaunt is collapsing!"

"What?" Faragonda asked.

"Darkar must have been maintaining the fortress with his power," said Griffin, "without him, Shadowhaunt will fall to pieces."

"And we didn't even get to use our demolition spells," said Morgan.

"Then what the hell are we doing here?" Aiden asked, "let's get out of here!"

They all began filing through the portal, with The Winx going first, then The Specialists, with Bloom and Sky remaining behind to make sure that their friends went through first.

But then Bloom looked back at the unconscious Trix, "we can't leave them here," she said. She then flew back to the incapacitated witches.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" exclaimed Carmen, "Bloom, you can't be serious!"

"I am!" said Bloom as she picked up Icy and started dragging her towards the portal, "don't just stand there, help me!"

"There are times, Bloom," said Sky as he, Carmen, Sora, Kairi and Riku ran over and helped carry Icy, Darcy and stormy back to the portal, "when your selfless nature can be really annoying."

"But you love me all the same," said Bloom she and Sky carried Icy.

"True," said Sky.

"I swear, Bloom," said Carmen as she and Riku carried Darcy, while Sora and Kairi carried Stormy, "I swear, if we die because we stopped to help these bitches, I'll kill you in the next life."

"But you owe me from the last life," said Bloom.

"As far as I'm concerned," said Carmen, "Dieing for The Trix, makes us totally even."

It wasn't long before everyone was through the portal and back in Shadowhaunt, which was shaking like an earthquake was tearing the place apart. The four Guardian pixies and the bonded pixies were still holding the portal open.

"Did everyone make it?" Chatta asked.

"Yes," said Faragonda, "and Darkar is no more."

Just then a piece of the ceiling nearly crushed Bloom and Sky, "the entire castle is collapsing!" said Concorda.

"Everyone, back to the ships!" shouted Sky. With that they all dashed into the corridors, dodging falling masonry and collapsing walls. It was a combination of miraculous fortune and sheer dumb luck that they all made it to the balcony where the cruiser and _The Intrepid Heart _lay waiting.

"What's happening?" Queen Minnie asked.

"It's doomsday for Shadowhaunt," said Sora, "we've got to go and we've got to go now!"

Everyone piled into the ships and they shot away from the fortress at breakneck speed, the ships leaving the balcony just as it fell apart.

Those near windows on the ships looked behind and watched Shadowhaunt's final moments as that hateful castle fell into the chasm below.

"There it goes," said Tune, "and I'm not sorry to say goodbye."

**The end of chapter 9.**

Next chapter finds our heroes wrapping things up in The Magical Dimension, with their next adventure right around the corner. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!


	10. Chapter 10: Wrapping Things Up

Last time found our heroes and allies battling their way past the hordes of Lord Darkar and chasing after him and Dark Bloom into Realix. A massive confrontation unfolded, in which Carmen admitted that she is the reincarnation of Lyssa Delgado, the last Grand High Witch of the Magical Dimension. But then things soon turned even worse when Dark Bloom summoned The Ultimate Power. Nothing seemed to be able to stop Darkar, not even the Trix. But then Dark Bloom betrayed Darkar and announced that she was going to use The Ultimate Power to unleash the forces of Hell upon reality. But then Sky confessed his love for Bloom, allowing her to regain control of her body and exorcising the demon, destroying it perminantly. Our heroes and allies then combined their powers to defeat Darkar once and for all, which resulted in the destruction of Shadowhaunt. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

**Chapter 10: Wrapping Things Up**

A short time later our heroes and allies were all safely back at Alfea, with three unwanted passengers to boot.

"Let's see you escape from this," Musa asked as Faragonda and Griffin secured restraining spells on The Trix that prevented them from using any magic.

"So you've put the whammy on us," said Darcy, "it doesn't matter."

"We'll get out of this," said Stormy, "and when we do, we'll tear you all to pieces!"

"You want me to stitch their mouths shut?" Morgan asked as she summoned a needle and a spool of coarse thread.

"I can probably think of something better to do to them," said Malcolm, "or worse, depending on how you see it."

"What's the matter, Icy?" Carmen asked, "you haven't said a thing since you woke up. Don't you have some vicious threats to throw at us? Aren't you going to swear revenge?"

Sora and the others noticed that Icy had been silent for a while. The frosty witch was currently glaring at Bloom.

"What?" Bloom asked, "is there something on my face?"

"Why?" Icy asked.

"Why what?" Bloom asked.

"If you're just going to mess with us," said Sky, "then you should keep your mouth shut."

"I have a valid question," said an irate Icy, "and I have a right to an answer," she looked at Bloom, "Why? Why did you waste The Ultimate Power like that?"

"Waste it?" Stella asked, "she used it to save our lives."

"And free herself of the demon," said Elise, "although it does point out another valid question. How did you free yourself of Ozezil's control, Bloom?"

"Well," said Bloom hesitantly, blushing slightly, "it wasn't easy. You know that I was fully aware of everything that happened while that thing was in the drivers seat. I could see, hear and feel everything the demon made my body do. I tried everything I could to resist, but Ozezil was too strong and I was completely helpless as it summoned The Ultimate Power.

"But then Sky said that he loved me, and my soul was shouting that I loved him back. I then wished with all of my will and heart that I could tell Sky that I loved him. I'm not completely sure how it happened, but The Ultimate Power heard me and granted my wish. It gave me the power to exorcise the demon, while at the same time it helped me gain full control over my healing magic, which was a good thing because I've been having a lot of trouble with healing spells."

"You should have told me," said Kairi, "I could have helped."

"She really needed help," said Aisha, "but I'm glad she got the knack for healing magic now, we were really in trouble back there."

"Well, that's that," said Bloom, "I made a wish and The Ultimate Power granted it. I exorcised the demon and healed everyone. I even cured Riven's diabetes."

"What?" Musa asked in a shocked tone.

"I have diabetes!?" Riven asked in a horrified tone.

"Well, you don't now," said Bloom.

"Oh, cool," said Riven in a relieved tone, while Musa also sighed with relief.

"But why did you make that kind of wish?" Icy demanded, "when you could have wished for anything you wanted. You could have used it to destroy the demon and Darkar. You could have used it to kill my sisters and I. You could have used it to restore Domino. You could have used it to become queen of the universe, and you wasted it on love."

"Love is all you need," said Bloom, "and I don't think I could have wished for anything else, not just anything that is. Again, I'm not really sure, but I think The Ultimate Power can only grant selfless wishes and never for personal gain. I mean, I asked it to help me tell Sky how I felt, but subconsciously, it knew that what I needed was to get rid of the demon and help my friends. It gave me exactly what I needed to win without actually asking for it.

"And even if I wanted something else, I wouldn't ask for it," she smiled at her friends, "I have everything I could ever want right here."

"So, even if Darkar had The Ultimate Power?" Icy asked, her voice cracking with anger and hate, "it wouldn't have worked for him? Everything we went through this past year would have been for nothing?"

"If you look at it that way," said Bloom, "yes."

At that Icy looked as if she wanted to rush at Bloom and rip her head off. Screaming in rage, the frosty witch tried to attack Bloom but was restrained by Carmen, Elise, Sora and Riku, "you stupid fairy! You stupid, stupid bitch! I'll get you for this!"

"Oh, give it a break, Icy!" said Darcy in an annoyed, defeated tone, "it's over."

"Save your rage for later," said Stormy, "when we return for our revenge."

"You won't get the chance," said Carmen. She then looked at the rest of our heroes and allies, "let's find the nearest tree and hang them."

"I thought we were going to cut their heads off with an axe!" said Tess.

"You can give Stormy and Darcy the axe," said Carmen, "but I want to hang Icy."

"Fair enough," said Tess, "you get some rope and pick out a tree, and I'll get the axe."

"You can't," said King Mickey, "remember, we have to turn them over to the police."

"Oh, right," said Carmen in a deflated tone, but then remembered the dire fate that awaited Icy, Darcy and Stormy, "yeah, that'll suit them just fine."

"Go ahead and throw us to the cops!" said Icy, "we'll escape before we're ever brought to trial!"

"You've already had your trial," said Timmy, "you were tried _in absentia _and found you incredibly guilty."

"All we have to do is wait for the cops to show up and you get thrown into jail," said Sora.

"Big deal," said Stormy as she crossed her arms.

"So we'll go to prison," said Darcy, "we'll break out in no time!"

"We broke out of Light Rock," said Icy, "we can break out of any prison!"

"You had to have Darkar break you out of Light Rock," said Aisha, "that doesn't give me much confidence in your jail breaking skills."

"You're not going to any old prison," said Carmen as she grinned in anticipation, "you're going to Omega."

At that The Trix were left dumbstruck.

"No," said Darcy finally in a shocked tone, "not Omega."

"That place is so cold, our hearts will freeze," said Stormy fearfully, "you can't send us there! I'd rather go back to Light Rock!"

"Yeah, send us back to Light Rock!" exclaimed Darcy in a desperate tone, "we're crazy, we need to be in rehab!"

"We're sick people!" said Stormy in an equally desperate tone, "we need help, a lot!"

But then Icy began laughing like the insane witch she was.

"What's her excuse?" Riven asked.

Icy then glared at our heroes and allies, "you idiots really think that you've seen the last of us, that we'll never get out of Omega. Well, you've guessed wrong! We'll be back, more powerful than ever, and you all will be begging to submit to us! Darkar thought he could rule the universe, but it is us, The Trix, whom shall rule!"

"Oh shut up!" exclaimed Carmen. She then punched Icy in the face, knocking the frosty witch out cold.

"Boy, that felt good," said Carmen as she rubbed her fist.

A short time later the cops showed up and, after forcing The Trix into straight jackets for good measure, then carted them off.

"All that need's to be done is wait for all the red tape to be processed," said Timmy as our heroes and allies watched the three dark witches ride away in the back of a police wagon, "then they'll be gone for good."

"How much red tape are we talking about?" Kairi asked.

"A lot," said Elise, "it'll be at least a week or so before all the bureaucratic minotaur crap is cleared up, and then they've got to be transported to Omega, one of the most remote places in The Magical Dimension, but once they've been dropped on that iceball hell hole, they're there forever, I hope."

"No one has ever escaped from Omega," said Sky, "but then again, underestimating The Trix has been one of our biggest mistakes."

"All we can do is hope that they're our of our hair for good this time," said Flora.

"But if they do come back somehow," said Bloom, "if they do the impossible and escape, we'll be ready for them."

"Ready to finish them off for good," said Carmen, "because if they ever come back, I won't hold back."

"And in the meantime," said Bloom, "we can talk about the past and what you owe me."

"Oh, that," said Carmen in an uncertain tone, "listen, about that…"

"As far as I'm concerned, we're even," said Bloom, "in fact, I think I owe you one now."

"But…I killed your ancestor," said Carmen, "my previous life…I…"

"That was just that…a previous life," said Bloom, "you had nothing to do with what happened between Lyssa and Danielle. They were manipulated by a horrible, evil creature that's dead. The Puppeteer, he is dead, right? Right?"

At that Carmen looked unsure, "I hope he's dead, I mean…Lyssa used The Armageddon Spell that destroyed an entire planet. But then again," she closed her eyes, as if bracing herself against admitting something she didn't want to, "then again, The Puppeteer has existed for thousands of years, always escaping death just when you thought he was finally finished. He hasn't been seen since Lyssa dropped the hammer on him, but…"

"But if he's still alive," said Sora, "we'll find him and shut him down."

"We shut Darkar down," said Kairi, "we can shut down any villain!" At that Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess all nodded in agreement.

"Count me in as well," said Malcolm, "that is…assuming I passed the probation test."

"With flying colors," said Kairi.

"Welcome to the gang," said Sora as he shook hands with Malcolm, whom then shook hands with Kairi and the others.

"Just make sure you take good care of him," said Mirta, "he's my only brother, I'd like to have him back in one piece one day, and so would mom and dad."

"We'll take good care of him," said Tess, "and keep an eye out for The Puppeteer."

"Be sure to look for the mark," said Carmen, "The Puppeteer can control several people at once, but his main host is always identifiable by a distinct black birthmark, it can be either an animal or a random object. That's how he chooses his next host, by casting a spell every hundred years or so that seeks out an unborn child and marks it. When the host matures, that's when the bastard seeks him or her out and transfers his twisted soul into the new host.

"The mark can be anywhere on the body and be any color, but one thing is absolutely certain; the mark always turns black when The Puppeteer is ready to transfer his soul."

"We'll keep our eyes open," said Riku, while the others nodded in agreement.

"And now that that's taken care of," said Elise, "we've got to decide what you're going to do, Carmen."

"And just what are you planning for me to do?" Carmen asked.

"Claim your birthright, of course," said Elise, "you are Lyssa Delgado reborn, and therefore have a legitimate claim to the title of Grand High Witch."

"What?!" exclaimed a horrified Carmen, "I…no! I can't be Grand High Witch, I'm still in school!"

"How is it that being the last Grand High Witch in a previous life gives her the right to be the next one?" Musa asked.

"The title of Grand High Witch had a very complex set of succession laws," said Elise, "the daughter of the standing Grand High Witch could be a candidate for the next one, as could a niece, sister, even an aunt or a cousin. Even a reincarnated Grand High Witch could also be a candidate, so can just about any witch with the knowledge, skills, connections and personality can become Grand High Witch. It all comes down to a grand election, in which every coven in The Magical Dimension comes together and votes on who shall be the next Grand High Witch."

"Politics," said Sky, "it all comes down to politics."

"Which is why I'm not going to do it," said Carmen, "I've got my hands full being Student Body President. There's no way I can handle leading every single coven in the universe, I just can't!"

"But you can," said Sora, "you're one of the most powerful magic users I know."

"You're smart, charismatic," said Morgan, "and you know how to use the color black."

"And there's the fact that you absolutely refuse to run away from anything," said Elise, "you're one stubborn old goat, one who's not afraid to stand up for what's right."

"You're got a lot of guts," said Sky, "and in some cases, that's all that counts."

"And you know how to win an argument," said Musa.

"You convinced us that witches are people too," said Flora.

"I thought I did that," said Mirta.

"Well, Carmen helped," said Aisha.

"What are we? Chopped liver?" Morgan asked.

"We had our part in it too, you know," said Elise.

"You all really think I can do this?" Carmen asked, "be the next Grand High Witch?"

"Without a doubt," said Bloom.

Carmen paused in thought before finally speaking, "Okay, I'll do it; I'll be the next Grand High Witch."

At that Elise blinked in shock, "wait, you want to do it now?"

"Why not start now?" Carmen asked, "the sooner the better I say."

"But you can't do it now!" said Elise, "you're not ready."

"If you're going to be the next Grand High Witch," said Tecna, "you're going to have to persuade the majority of all the covens in The Magical Dimension to elect you, at least 60%."

"And once word gets out of what you're doing," said Timmy, "there's going to be other witches who want to be Grand High Witch."

"And judging from the history of the office of Grand High Witch," said Elise, "some of those elections could get kinda nasty."

"Nasty is part of who I am," said Carmen, "I can handle any dirty political games thrown at me."

"Some candidates would turn up dead," said Elise.

"Wouldn't be the first time someone tried to kill me," said Carmen.

"And what about your homeworld?" Morgan asked, "what about your people on Holicon who are suffering under the evils of Underwood and Inglewood?"

"Oh, right," said Carmen, "well, I'll deal with them when the time comes. And I'll deal with any witch who wants me dead with the time comes."

"You won't have to deal with them alone," said Bloom, "I'll help you save your home world, and help you become Grand High Witch."

"We'll help too," said Sky, while Stella and all the Specialists, Winx and their bonded Pixies nodded in agreement.

"And we'll help too," said Sora, while Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess nodded in agreement.

"Oh, you guys," said Carmen as she smiled brightly.

But then it was time for Sora and the gang to take their leave of The Magical Dimension. Everyone said their goodbyes and expressed well wishes.

But as Sora was saying goodbye to Bloom and Sky, wishing them well on their newly expressed love, he saw that Queen Minnie was looking at King Mickey with irate eyes, while The King was looking rather ashamed of himself.

"What happened with them?" Sora asked.

"He had her stay outside while we went inside," said Sky, "and she's not happy about it."

But then The King looked at the Queen with pleading eyes, begging her for forgiveness. She crossed her arms and turned away. The King then got on his knees, begging again for forgiveness. The Queen then gave a betraying smile, turned around and hugged The King, peppering him with kisses.

"Problem solved," said Sora.

The King and Queen then walked over to talk to Bloom, "we've been meaning to go see you, Bloom," said King Mickey, "but things have been so busy with us."

"You're so much like your mother and father," said Queen Minnie.

"I know," said Bloom, "everyone keeps telling me how much I look like my mother."

"You've received so much more from Miriam than her looks," said Queen Minnie, "you have her wisdom, charisma, whit and grace."

"And you got Oritel's courage and knack for leadership," said King Mickey, "and more than a little of his stubborn streak."

"Yeah, Bloom can be a bit stubborn," said Sky, "but in a good way."

"Oritel was just the same," said The King.

"You really think so?" Bloom asked.

"I know so," said King Mickey, "and if both Oritel and Miriam were here, they'd agree with me fully."

"Your parents were more than our friend," said Queen Minnie, "they were our dearest friends, and we're honored to know their daughter and be her fear friends as well."

"I'd like that," said Bloom. She then looked hopeful, "do you think we'll ever see them again?"

"I hope so," said King Mickey, "your mother and father were too good to let some crummy trio of old hags do them in. I know we'll see them again someday. I haven't given up hope, and neither should you."

"I'll never give up," said Bloom, "as long as there's hope in my heart, I'll never stop looking for my parents."

"That's the spirit!" said The King.

Sora then saw Mirta and Malcolm saying goodbye. The siblings had hugged, then looked at each other, silently promising each other to be safe and be well.

Then came the time for Sora and the others to go. They all boarded The Intrepid Heart, with Sora being the last to walk up the hatch. He paused to wave goodbye to The Winx, bonded pixies, Specialists and good witches, whom all waved back. The hatch then closed up, the ship took off and vanished into a portal.

"I'm gonna miss them," said Aisha, " they were great, all of them."

"They were great," said Sky.

"One of these days," said Bloom, "we might just go with them to their worlds."

"Not me," said Stella, "I'm glad they're leaving. Every time Sora and his friends come, we nearly end up dead."

"Chances are, we could have been killed without The Keyblade Wielders," said Carmen.

"Gee, you really know how to bring someone down, Carmen," said Stella.

"Thanks," said Carmen.

"I know how to cheer you up, Stella," said Musa, "we've got a celebration party to get ready for."

"Hey, that's right!" said Stella in a much perkier tone, "party time!"

"Some things never change," said Sky.

"You said it," remarked Bloom.

* * *

**…Castle Oblivion…**

"So, once again Sora and his cabal defied all odds and came out victorious," said Sephiroth as he, Dio Brando, Insano and Xehanort watched on the Interocitor as our heroes leave The Magical Dimension in The Intrepid Heart.

"And they're all still alive," said Dio Brando, "so much for murdering Kairi."

"So much for your plan of killing Sora's companions one by one," said Insano.

"Their fortune shall change in due time," said Xehanort, "as will ours. Speaking of which, when will you begin your experiment on young Gaston?"

"As soon as I finish setting up my laboratory," said Insano. He then glared at Xehanort through his spiral goggles, "which won't happen until you provide me with the equipment I requested!"

"Patience, my dear doctor," said Xehanort, "the equipment you need is coming."

"As is our financial expert," said Dio Brando, "seriously, the guy isn't coming!"

Just then a rather unpleasant character, a duck wearing a tartan bonnet, vest and kilt, thick glasses with a gray goatee beard and carrying a large wooden walking stick, walked into the room, "forgive my lateness, gentlemen," said the duck in a thick Scottish accent, "I was securing the financial assets that this group would be needing."

"Of which we are all grateful for," said Xehanort as he stood up and walked over to the Scottish duck. He then looked at Sephiroth, Dio Brando and Doctor Insano, "permit me to introduce our financial advisor, Flintheart Glomgold."

"Your servant," said Flintheart Glomgold as he gave a short nod of acknowledgement to the three villains, "now, if you'll all excuse me, I have business to attend to." With that he walked out of the room.

"I'm not sure I like him or not," said Dio Brando.

"He's not here to be liked," said Xehanort, "our friend Glomgold is here to help us get what we want, for which in return, I shall help him get what he wants."

"And what does that overly rich duck wants?" Sephiroth asked, "I've heard of Flintheart Glungold, who's heart is as hard as flint itself. He has billions and owns dozens of businesses and real-estate properties. He has everything he could want, so what can you, Xehanort, give a duck like Glomgold?"

"Revenge," said Xehanort, "revenge on the one duck who's thwarted him time and time again; Scrooge McDuck. Glomgold helps us with our plans, I help him bring financial ruin and unparallel humiliation to McDuck."

"Sounds fair to me," said Insano, "now," he stood up, "if you'll excuse me, I have my own work to attend to."

"Don't kill Gaston yet," said Dio Brando, "I want to see him suffer before he dies from your twisted experiments."

"Who said anything about killing the man?" Insano asked, "I promised him revenge on Belle and The Beast; I intend to deliver!" at that he laughed like the lunatic he was and walked out of the room.

"That man is either going to help us win or destroy us," said Sephiroth.

"Do you doubt the validity of this arrangement we all have?" Xehanort asked.

"I have my moments," said Sephiroth, "one of them came when you told me to retreat from The Keyblade Wielders just now."

"It was part of the plan," said Xehanort.

"I know," said Sephiroth, "and I do not hold it against you. But it will cost you."

"I see," said Xehanort, "well then, name your price."

"When the time comes," said Sephiroth, "when Sora's friends all lie dead and he on the verge of the darkness, I shall be the one to destroy him and bring to you the heart of Ventus, I and I alone!"

"Is that all?" Xehanort asked, "I thought you were already hung up on Cloud Strife. Very well then, when the time cones, Sora shall be yours to destroy, but I want Ven's heart brought to me, intact."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," said Xehanort.

With that Sephiroth left the room, followed by Dio Brando, who left without saying anything, leaving the dark master to his own ruminations.

"A minor setback," said Xehanort as he took out a data crystal from his pocket, "and yet, not without its rewards," he then walked over to the Interocitor and plugged the crystal into a data port on the side. He then pressed the button on the remote. The intensifier disk rotated eighteen degrees to the left and the data that Xehanort stole from Shadowhaunt was displayed on the triangular screen. The dark master sat down and began studying the data, "not without its rewards," he said again.

* * *

**…Maleficent's Cavern…**

"So this is where you've kept your own copy of Hecate's book," said Regina as she looked at the dark tome on its pedestal, "to think, every dark spell in existence is in this book."

"Nearly every dark spell," said Maleficent, "I copied as much as I could before the original was noticed missing. But it is extensive. Even I, the mistress of all evil, have yet to learn all the secrets in this grimoire."

"Fascinating," said the evil queen as she eyed the book with increasing envy and desire.

"Yes, fascinating," said Maleficent. Regina then reached out to touch the book, but then Maleficent placed a barrier around it, "and you can fantasize about it all you wish, for that is all you shall do about it."

At that the evil queen glared at Maleficent with murder in her eyes, but then relented, "of course. I am a guest in your house and it was rude of me to try to touch your property."

Just then Lady Tremaine stormed into the room, the former wicked stepmother of Cinderella looking like she was ready to kill someone, "they refused me! My own daughters! They refused me!"

"What are you talking about?" Regina asked.

"My daughters!" said Lady Tremaine, "Anastasia and Drizella, I spoke with them just now. I told them that Maleficent offered to heal their old wounds and restore their beauty, that she would make them great and powerful ladies and we would all have our revenge on Cinderella."

She then looked ready to kill her own daughters, "and then they had the nerve to say no to me! They said that they were happy with their lives and had no desire for fame, beauty, glory, power or revenge, then they told me to go away. Of all the nerve! I'm their mother, and they told me to go away!"

"Clearly they're mentally disturbed," said Regina in a sarcastic tone.

"I should have them beaten to an inch of their lives!" said Lady Tremaine as she irately paced back and forth, "of all the nerve! How dare they refuse me!? I gave them everything they could have wanted and now they turn their back on me! Those ungrateful twits! I should skin them alive!"

"Compose yourself, dear lady!" said Maleficent, "you're going to give yourself a cardiac arrest!"

"Yes, the last thing we would want is for you to have a heart attack," said the evil queen.

At that Lady Tremaine seemed to calm down somewhat, "I…I suppose not. But they still had no right to refuse me! I'm their mother!"

"If they have no desire for revenge then they are of no use to us," said Maleficent, "it matters not," she then showed the two villainesses the glowing protomass that was the offspring of Xorat and Kiraxi. In the months since it was created, the protomass had tripled in size and was pulsating with the insidious life growing inside it.

"My new lieutenants," said Maleficent as she walked up to the protomass, "within a few months, they shall be ready to carry out my will across the universe."

"And what of our will?" the former evil queen asked, "we still have an agreement."

"Our help in exchange for youth, health, beauty and power," said Lady Tremaine.

"And you shall have it all in abundance," said Maleficent. She then walked up to a summoned mirror and looked into it, the possessed body of Penny Dubois gazing back at her, "yes, soon we shall all have what we desire."

"All that we desire," said Regina as she an Lady Tremaine stood next to Maleficent and looked into the mirror as well, "now, if we can track down my old magic mirror, we'd be in decent shape."

"And force my irresponsible daughters into shape," said Lady Tremaine.

"All in good time, my sisters in darkness," said Maleficent, "all in good time

* * *

**…Disney Castle…**

"Well, your majesty," said Sora once everyone was back at the castle and were settled in the library, "I'm sorry that things got sidetracked."

"If you weren't called to The Magical Dimension," said King Mickey, "then chances are, things would have turned out a lot worse."

"Not only did you restore the friendship of the Winx," said Queen Minnie, "and helped a few of them find true love, and saved Bloom's soul twice, you also helped another find her destiny."

"Carmen," said Kairi, "you really think she has what it takes to be the Grand High Witch of the entire Magical Dimension?"

"I hope so," said Riku, "she's got the feel of being the right person for the job."

"I also hope so," said Tess, "I also hope she saves her world. Can you imagine, two evil organizations tearing a world apart to fuel their insane desires. It's just sick."

"There's been worse things in the Magical Dimension," said Malcolm, "there's been villains there who could blow up a planet with one spell."

"The Armageddon Spell," said Kairi. "Let's hope our enemies never learn that one," she then knocked on a nearby wooden bookshelf.

"We can only hope that things in The Magical Dimension stay quiet for a while," said King Mickey. He then looked at Malcolm, "now, I'm sure you've got a tone of questions."

"And how," said Malcolm as he scratched the back of his head, "this is all so new to me. Everything on this world is so…bright and cheerful and…and happy."

"Yep, that's this world for you," said The King, "welcome to the realms of light." he then looked at Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess, "and you guys are overdue at another school."

"Hogwarts," said Riku, "well…"

"You're not going just yet," said the King, "I know, you're all eager to go there, but you just got back from saving an entire universe. You're in no shape to go to magic school."

"Especially when we just got back from one," said Kairi as she took out her note pad.

"We took a lot of notes there," said Sora as he and Riku also took out their notepads.

"You'd better let us read those," said Aiden, while Tess nodded in agreement.

"You'll have all the time you needed to go over them," said King Mickey, "while you were on Magic, I made arrangements with Hogwarts to postpone your visit there a few weeks, so you've got plenty of time to go over your notes, and to deal with any major crises that come up."

"Being Keyblade Wielders," said The Queen, "trouble is always close at hand."

"I won't argue with that," said Sora, while Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess nodded in agreement.

"It'll also give us the time for our newest friend to get used to us," said Kairi.

"And for us to whip him into shape," said Riku, "you're good, Malcolm, but you can do better."

"You've trained yourself so far," said Aiden as he eagerly pressed his wrists, "now it's our turn."

"Bring it," said Malcolm in a confident tone, "I can handle anything you throw at me."

"Famous last words," said Tess.

* * *

By the next day our heroes had returned to their homes on their Earth, with Malcolm sleeping in the guest room at Riku's house. They all met at the pier on the island.

"So now that we're all here," said Sora, "let's get started."

"On what?" Aiden asked as he rubbed the back of his neck, "and is it going to be a lot of hard work? I slept funny last night and my neck is killing me."

"The only thing you'll be doing is reading," said Riku as he handed Aiden his notes.

"What notes?" Aiden asked after looking at the papers, "all I see is chicken scratches."

"You do have pretty bad hand righting, Riku," said Kairi.

"Really?" Riku asked as he took the notepad back and looked at what he wrote, "I can read it just fine."

"So can I," said Tess as she looked at the notepad.

"I think I can make it out," said Malcolm as he looked at the notes, "barely."

"So I write like a doctor," said Riku, "so what? Sora and Kairi took the same notes that I did."

"I can barely read my own handwriting sometimes," said Sora.

"I'm only average," said Kairi.

At that Malcolm sighed, "okay, if you'll just tell me what you wrote down, I'll transcribe it all for you."

"You'd do that?" Sora asked.

"I have excellent penmanship," said Malcolm.

"Well, that's good to know," said Aiden, "what else can you do that's excellent?"

"A lot," said Malcolm.

Just then an orange and yellow portal opened up at the end of the dock, and from it emerged a tall, wiry man wearing a blue and white messenger's uniform. He walked up to our heroes, "excuse me," said the messenger, "but is there a Tess Thatcher among you?"

"Uh, yeah," said Tess as she stepped forward, "that's me."

The messenger then pulled out a parchment scroll that was tied with a gold and white ribbon and sealed with red wax, "permit me the honor, Lady Teresa Angelina Francesca d'Avrnoy, of delivering this letter to you."

"Who?" Tess asked.

"Lady Teresa Angelina Francesca d'Avrnoy," said the messenger, "of Valkasia. That's you." He then handed the parchment scroll to Tess, "I'm sure you have many questions about who you really are. Please, these will answer them."

Hesitantly, Tess took the scroll, broke the seal and unrolled it. Her eyes widened in shock as she read the message, "oh my! It says that I'm the heir to the duchy of Avrony on Valkasia."

"No way!" exclaimed Sora, Riku and Kairi.

"Does this sort of thing happen often?" Malcolm asked.

"With us, you learn to expect the unexpected," said Aiden.

**The end of Volume 2.**

And that's that for volume 2. But don't worry, fellow readers and writers, the drama is far from over, for unknown to our heroes, they're soon to encounter three awesomely awesome teams of heroes.

_**Coming soon:**_

_**Path of the Keyblade Wielder Volume 3: Keyblade Wielders vs. Super Sentai!**_

See you soon!


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